The Spirit Realms
by crosseyedbutterfly
Summary: Sequel to Zephyr's Winds. Our friends are faced with another challenge that only a few can over come as the Spirit Realms are held in the balance between good and evil...FINISHED
1. Default Chapter

*Grinning like a madwoman* I'm back!!! Sorry it took so long, I really thought I'd be able to finish up some other things before this much time passed. Unfortunately, I also procrastinate horribly, and this is the result. ^_^ ;;

This is the Sequel to Zephyr's Wind (which, if you haven't read it, I suggest you do before reading this) and though it won't be as long as the original I certainly hope it will be as well liked by you all. My thanks for your patience with me.

~Crosseyedbutterfly~

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::Preface::

Twenty years have passed since the defeat of the Master and his servants, and since then the Rebels have gone on with their lives as they could. Changes have happened in all of them since the beginning of that journey, and even some have occurred as they adjusted back to a life of peace and safety once more. Their battles of the past have been battles of mortals, ones within their own world or (in Genki's case) on similar enough to it that they could call it home and fight for it as such. But now a new evil has come, and it is not of their world, nor of their mortal realms. What will happen when they are forced to face the unnatural and the battle in a realm they didn't even know existed? In the Spirit Realms…

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Allen jumped along the tops of the trees just for the pure joy of it, Holly and Genki easily keeping pace below him on their roller blades. They might be in their mid-thirties, but it didn't mean they weren't as active as they had been as teens! The only exception was right before Holly was to give birth to one of their children, and that was expected. 

Two others brought up the rear, a set of twins so amazingly different that kept up with their parents and 'uncle' by the power of their feet alone. Their legs seemed to move in a blur as they sprinted endlessly behind them, their youth and energy bearing them up to unimaginable lengths. That and they were visiting someplace very special helped as well…

The boy boasted short, light brown hair that was held from his face with a horsetail in the back, it being long and straight like his mother's. His brown eyes were soft and honest, a caring touch to them that most boys would be ashamed to boast. His name was Zephyr, named after one of the greatest monsters in their worlds history, and he didn't care if he was thought to be too sweet tempered and wussy because wouldn't get into fights with others. The original Zephyr had been said to be one of the gentlest beings ever when he wasn't fighting, and Z (as he was known) would do anything to be more like him.

The girl was the same height as her brother, though her hair was a few hues darker and her green eyes held a fierceness that made up for what his lacked. She kept her own unmanageable hair short and spiky, longer than her father's had been or was now but certainly far shorter than that of most of her friends. It gave her a boyish look, but what she lacked in feminine qualities she made up for in unending stamina and courage that she had gained from her father. Her name was Lilianne, though called Annie by her friends and family, after her father's cousin who had given up her place on this world so they might be safe. She, too, emulated her namesake as best she could by being a fighter and a protector of all who needed protection. 

Z and Annie were 17 years old right then, and dressed in the same blue pants, white shirt, and gray tunic as always. They liked dressing the same, unlike most twins, and were quite proud to be related to the other; no matter how different they might be. 

Allen slowed his jumping from tree to tree as the light began to wane, leaping down before Holly and Genki as he came upon a suitable camping spot for the night. A stream cut across their path with a small clearing to one side partially surrounded by a rock over hang.

"Perfect," he said, tossing his things to the side before going and plunging his head into the water. Drawing it back out, he shook out his silver hair and let it hang wetly over his shoulders. Time had been kind to him, only a few laugh lines showing around his eyes and his body remaining as strong and supple as it had in his youth. His face had an older, wiser look to it than before, but those blue eyes of his still held a sparkle of mischief that showed he had never truly grown up at all.

"Kids, go get us some firewood for the night," said Genki with a quick smile at them. "Your mother and I will set up the rest of the camp."

"Alright, Dad."

"Ok."

"Be back before it gets to dark!" added Holly with a concerned look as they left. "I do hope they get back alright…"

"Holly, they're 17 years old," said Genki reassuringly. "They've been raised by you and roughed up by me, they'll be fine."

"Any who survived living with him that long could survive anything period," added Allen lightly. 

"I could say the same for you," added Genki with a smirk.

"That's why no one lives with me." A silence fell over the group, Holly brushing her long hair from her face and starting a fire with some kindling from nearby quickly. No one said a word, but they fell into the routine they had used every time they traveled together like this. Allen fished in the stream, bringing in several fine speckle-backed trout for them to fry. Genki hunted among the bushes and roots there, finding some herbs Holly had long since taught him to identify to put on the fish and supplement their meal.

The twins soon returned, their arms full of the bundles of wood Genki had asked them to get. Annie threw hers beside the fire and sat down beside her mother, Z being a little more careful as he set his down as well and then added some of it to the flames until he had himself a fine bonfire.

"Well done, you two," said Allen with a smile. "See? I told you they'd be fine."

"Of course we'd be fine," said Annie robustly, grinning as she gutted one of the fish and prepared it to be fried. "Nothing's going to happen out here, Ma."

"You know I just worry about you two, sometimes," said Holly, laying hand on her daughter's shoulder. "After all, you are not so different from your father and goodness knows how many times he got himself into trouble…"

"Ha, like our lives will ever be that exciting," replied Annie wryly, her mouth twisting itself slightly. "Between you, Da, Aunt Pixie and young Slip you've gotten rid of every single tyrant and evil guy on the entire continent. Me an' everyone else will die having known nothing but peace, which if you ask me can get to be pretty boring…"

"Oh, come on," said Genki, lightly punching her daughter's arm as an invitation to come and spar with him. "It's not like I haven't taught you to defend yourself and let you fight in the rings in your own age groups…"

"I know, I know," she said, setting the fish aside with a grin and getting up quickly. "It's just not the same as the exciting adventures you and Da had…before we were born or you two were even married…"

"Those times were not all fun, you know," said Holly seriously, taking up were Genki would've spoken if he and Annie were not already into their mock-fight. "A lot of us nearly did…and some of us did…"

"But you didn't," said Z quietly, taking up the job were his sister had left off. "You and Da and the others…none of you died."

Holly and Allen exchanged glances. "We were lucky. Extremely lucky."

"Not all of our friends were as such," said Allen, bowing his head slightly. "Death…can be a very scary thing. I hope you never have to go through what me and your parents did…"

"We know, we know," said Z, rolling his eyes with a grin. "The hard times, the camping out, never knowing when you would see your next meal…"

"More than that," said Holly. "You forgot running for our lives, being hunted by beasts you can only imagine, fighting just to see another day…those are things my children will never see if I have any say in it."

"Which reminds me," said Allen with a thoughtful look on his face. "Why didn't you bring along the other three? Surely Cam, Tori, and Tess would've wanted to come, right?" Only Holly heard him speak, Z having gone off to rinse his hands and Annie still keeping her father busy in mock-battle.

"This is not just a visit," said Holly, her voice considerably lower as she furrowed her brow. "We must speak with Lili on…important matters."

"Such as…?"

"The stones." Allen's eyes widened as he realized what she was implying. 

"Then you are thinking of…"

"We cannot hold them forever," said Holly seriously, closing her eyes as she did. "And Genki and I are both getting past our prime…as are you, Allen."

"Then you are to ask if you must pass them on eventually." He pursed his lips as he thought about all four stones for a moment.

Holly looked at her two oldest children, one starting to fry the fish and the other about to lose a fight to her father. "And to who." Annie landed on the ground as her father easily evaded her attack, being pinned there moments later.

"Well crap…"

"You're getting cocky, again," he said, helping her to her feet. "Not that I've never done it as well, but still…"

She grinned and nodded. "I will try to do better, Da."

"Good."

Holly looked up, a smile lighting her face. "Everyone, look! A shooting star!" Everyone looked up immediately, seeing the brightly burning star leaving a trail of light across the sky. It was almost across their vision when it was suddenly incepted by another shooting star, the two of them colliding into a huge burst of light in the sky.

"…wow," said Allen, his eyes wide in puzzlement. "Never seen that before…"

"I know," replied Holly, blinking slightly.

"Oh well," said Z with a shrug. "Who's ready to eat?"

They sat down moments later and ate their dinner, the stars shining brightly above them and the fire crackling merrily at their side as they went to sleep together on the ground. Tomorrow they would get to Lili's 'spot', the one place she could enter their world whenever she wanted to. It would be a day of surprises that none of them could foresee, not even Lili herself…

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Kenjou sat silently up in the trees, his silver eyes watching the ground below with care as his long, blue hair blue in the wind around him. A young man of 18 or so, a dirk hung on his back and a whip at his side. He soon spotted what he was looking for and got up quickly, bounding through the trees with a boyish grin as he launched himself headfirst at a familiar silver-haired man who looked like an older version of himself…

"Uncle Allen!!"

"…huh?!" The entire group stopped as Allen went tumbling in the dust, his mischievous nephew sitting pertly on his stomach as he gathered his wits about himself once more. "Kenjou?!"

"The one and only," replied the young man, getting up and helping his uncle to his feet. "How've you been, Uncle Allen?"

"I was doing very well until you decided to jump on me like that," said Allen with a wry smile as he worked the kinks out of his back.

"You're getting old, Allen," commented Genki with a grin. "Time was you would never be caught off guard like that! Good to see you again, Kenjou."

"And you, Genki." He bowed respectfully to Holly and Genki before turning and exchanging quick nods before the other two. His gaze idled for a moment on Annie, who ignored him in general, but was quickly called back to reality by his Uncle's voice.

"What are you doing out here, Kenjou?" asked Allen, ignoring Genki's comment entirely. "You're mother hates it when you travel around like I do, you know that…"

"She sent me after you," replied Kenjou defiantly. Breaking into a grin, he added, "She had her fifth kid. A girl, named Keadi."

"Really?! Congratulations!" Allen enveloped the young man in a huge bear hug, who just tolerated it long enough to be polite before wriggling out of his Uncle's grasp. "I'm an uncle again!!"

"You have been since Tilly was born," added Kenjou, naming his older sister who had been the first-born in their family twenty years ago. His mother, Meg, was Allen's younger sister and the first of their generation to get married and have children at all. His Uncle Jon had gotten married and had a few young ones of his own, but Jon's twin Jackie was still single and stayed at the house helping her parents. Not that she cared, she was too independent like Allen to settle down anytime soon.

"That's besides the point!"

"Are you going back home soon, Kenjou?" asked Holly politely. "For we are only a short was from Lili's spot, and I'm sure she'd like to see you again…"

"I would be honored to join you there," replied Kenjou immediately with a wide grin. "Uncle Allen can come back with me when we're done and see his new niece, and you are welcome to come then as well."

"Thank you," replied Holly with a kind smile. "Perhaps we will."

"Now, let's get going!" said Genki, all excited like a young boy about seeing his cousin again. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

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Lili, or Firesprite as she was known by her fellow Guardians, was sitting up a boulder when they got to the clearing a few hours later, her scarlet robes aflame in the setting sun. Behind her was a blank stone face, the mortal entrance to the Spirit Realms that any within this world could use if they ever needed Lili for anything. Only a select few knew of it, though, and were sworn to secrecy on pain of death. "Genki! Holly!" she cried when she saw them. "How are you?"

"Fine, cousin," said Genki, coming and giving her a rib-crushing hug. "Oh, I've missed having you around."

Lili laughed. "As I have missed you, Cousin. I see you have brought some others with you as usual. There are the twins, but were at the rest of your brood?"

"Back home, safe with Coltia and her family," replied Holly with a slight smile. "They will come with us next time, I promise." She exchanged hugs with Lilianne, the later somewhat puzzled but leaving the explanation as it was. 

"Annie, Z," she said, beckoning for them to come forward. "Good grief, you two are getting big! Make me feel like some ancient being…"

"You are, Aunt Lili," said Annie teasingly as she gave her a hug. "As old as dirt!"

"Oh hush you," replied Lili with a smile. "And how are you, Silent one?"

"As well as ever, Aunt Lili," replied Z with a slow smile. He exchanged hugs with her as well before stepping back so Allen and Kenjou could say hello.

Lili's eyes softened considerably as her gaze fell on Allen, but neither of them said anything as he gave her a hug before stepping back and letting his nephew through as well. 

"Youngling, you are growing more like your Uncle every time I see you," said Lili, her eyes waveringly slightly as she looking him over. "Meg has every right to be proud of you, Kenjou."

"Then tell her to stop yelling at me for taking after my Uncle so much," replied Kenjou with a wry smile. He gave Lili a quick hug. "It is good to see you, Aunt Lili."

"As it is good to see you, young Kenjou."

"Where's Zephyr?" asked Annie after a moment of silence, glancing around everywhere. "He is normally here as well…"

Lili's face darkened slightly, her eyes seeing something they could not. "He is…busy. No doubt he will join us before too long, I hope." She frowned for a moment, then calmed herself and smiled lightly. "I hope to caught up with you all soon, but I must speak to Genki and Allen at the moment. It is rather important…"

"Go ahead," said Holly, tugging at her twin's sleeves and getting Kenjou to follow her with a jerk of her head. "Come along, you three. Time to learn some more herblore that might help you later one…"

"Aw, mom…"

"No buts, let's go."

Lilianne chuckled as Holly led the three away without another complaint. "She really is a wonder, that girl."

"I know," replied Genki with a warm smile. "She keeps reminding me of that everyday."

"I'm sure, but as for what I wanted to speak to you about…" Lili's face took on a troubled look. "Something happened last night with in Void…"

"That what?" asked Genki, looking rather confused.

"The Void," replied Lilianne patiently. "Remember? It's the place between the Mortal Realms-"

"And the Spirit Realms," finished Allen for her. "It had to do with the shooting stars, didn't it?"

"Yes," replied Lili gravely. "What, I'm not sure yet, but Zephyr is supposed to be looking into it…I just thought you might like fair warning in case something does happen."

"Thank you," said Genki in understanding. "We will let you know if we hear something ourselves later on."

"Of course."

The three of them left the subject from there, going on to other matters such as the progress of Genki's children and Allen's many nephews and nieces. Sometime had passed and the other three had long since returned and entered the conversation when there was a burst of light overhead, Zephyr appearing in the sky at the same time.

"LILI!! WATCH OUT!!"

The Guardian instinctively threw a huge shield over them all, blocking anything from coming through as a rain of bright energy poured from the sky upon them. It lasted for only a few minutes, and Lili lowered the shield when she was sure everything was safe once more.

"Zephyr? Zephyr, what was that?!"

"I don't know, but-"

*WOOSH*

"AHHH!!!"

Lili watching in horror as the portal behind her opened and sucked in Allen, Kenjou, Annie, and Z without any prior notice, closing the moment all four humans were through completely. She felt herself being drawn back to her world by some strange force, and found it difficult to resist the pull completely.

"Annie!! Z!!" Holly's face when white with fear as it dawned on her that her children had disappeared and she had no idea where they were or how to follow them. Genki knelt beside her on the ground, consoling the weeping Holly as he dealt with his own fears as well.

"Zephyr?" called Lili, closing her eyes in concentration.

"We are being called back, Lili."

"I know. Genki, Holly, I will be back and with your children by my side, I promise." She and Zephyr phased from sight as she tried to say more, her words lost in the transition from one realm to the next across the Void.

Genki and Holly had been left behind with the portal between the two realms closed, and they had no idea what to do.

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*sighs* I have done better, I know. It is not a bad beginning though, I think. Please, review, because I love hearing from you guys and your comments and suggestions are always a welcome thing. ^_^  Love and Peace to all!

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	2. 

Hello again!! Yes, we are definitely off to a good start on this sequel. My thanks to you who reviewed the first chapter! Hopefully we'll get some more the second time around. ^_~

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Holly and Genki had stayed beside the portal through the night, waiting for any news or a sign that their friends and family were all right. The portal remained closed, impervious to their attempts to go through. All they could do was wait, and hope they would soon know what had happened to those whom they loved…

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Allen woke up hazily upon his back, staring at a sky that seemed a little too bright a blue and clouds that were a blinding white to his mortal eyes. Everything seemed to shimmer and glow before his eyes with a vibrant colors never seen in their world before, making the richest of hues seem dull and washed out. 

"Uncle? Are you alright?" Allen saw a familiar face with long blue hair leaning over him.

"Kenjou…"

"How is he?" asked a familiar voice, another face coming into view.

"Awake, and somewhat coherent," replied Kenjou as he helped Allen sip some water from a hollow shell. "He recognized me, at least. Where is Annie?"

"Scouting. She will be back soon."

"Alright."

"Where are we?" asked Allen, sitting up slowly with the help of the other two as he tried to get his scattered wits back in order. They had been with Lili, talking, and then there had been that huge explosion overhead… "What happened, for that matter?"

"We're not sure," replied Z, leaning back on his hands with his legs spread out before him. "But I've got a pretty good feeling that we're certainly not in our world anymore…and not our realm, either."

"What?!" Allen sat up straight, remembering the sudden pull from his right and then flying head over heels into the stone face that seemed to disappear the moment he hit it. "Blazing Phoenix…we're in the Spirit Realms, aren't we?!"

"Yes," replied Annie, appearing out of the blue and sitting next to them wearily. "We are. Look." She held up a flower she had picked, small blue petals with orange spots surrounding a deep purple center. 

"A windwhisper," said Z in amazement, his eyes huge as he took it gently from his sister and began to inspect it himself. "Legend says that it can cure any illness or disease, and once could be found anywhere in our world. But for some reason or another the only place to find it now is in the Spirit Realms…"

"On the Plain of Dreams," added Annie softly. "The first place any Mortal goes once they've passed through the portal."

Allen looked around, seeing two buildings in either direction, each the exact same distance from the large Plain they were in. "Which means that those two places are-"

"The Guardian's Abbey, and the Dark One's Fortress," said Z slowly. "I vote we head to the Abbey. Now."

"I agree," said Kenjou, getting to his feet immediately. Between the three of them they helped Allen get to his feet and regain his balance, making sure he was ready before heading into the woods away from the fort. Allen didn't know why, but it looked unusually familiar to him, and he had a feeling that wherever it was that he remembered it from it wasn't a place he wished to remember in the least. 

"I still can't believe we're in the Spirit Realms," said Kenjou to himself, looking at the fruit Z had found for them to eat almost reverently before taking a bite out of it.  

"I can," replied Z with a shrug. 

"In a way, it feels like we're doing exactly what Ma and Da used to do," said Annie with a grin, using her dagger to trim away the core of her pear. "Think of the tales there will be about us when we return home!"

"You mean, if we return home," said Allen heavily, his face grimly set as they reached the far edge of the Plain and was soon entirely surrounded by trees. "You must remember: We do not know who or what it was that brought us here. Or if we will ever find the Portal that will return us home. I hope we will find it, for the sake of your parents as well as your own, for they must be worried sick about you by now… The passage of time could very well be entirely different between the two Realms, which means a thousand years could've passed or not a single second at all."

Everyone sobered up considerably at this thought as they continued to eat the fruit from the trees around them and head for the Abbey where they might find some shelter as fast as they could. 

What they didn't see what the shadow far behind them, one that seemed to pause for a moment before retreating back to the fortress with the all the speed he could muster from his wings and horrid smile on his demonic-like face…

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Lili, or Firesprite as she was known here, woke up in her study, piles of books and papers surrounding her as she rubbed a crick out of her neck. It seemed like she had just fallen asleep over a chronicle of sorts, just as she had several times before…

"Allen!" She sat up straight, scrambling around for a few moments as she tried to piece together everything that had happened before she ran out of the room as fast as she could to the main hall. Perhaps there she would find her answers.

Rounding the corner, she nearly tripped over the huge rug that covered the floor and was about to apologize when she realized something. The Guardian of All was sitting on his thrown as usual, but his clothes from the neck down had taken on an unusual rusty color…and his head was not on his neck but in his lap instead…

"Oh holy Phoenix…"

"He was found like this just before you were returned to your study, Firesprite," said a voice behind her, the Guardian of the Living whirling around to find Ophelia, the Guardian of the Dead standing there with her head bowed. "Another Prophecy started, and this one of a time when both the Dark One and the Guardian of All would fall to the other's powers, leaving the Realms hanging in the balance until the rest could be fulfilled."

"What happened?" whispered Firesprite, falling to her knees slowly. "How was he killed, Ophelia?!"

"It is Mid-Silver Solstice, Firesprite," explained Celeste, the Guardian of Time, as she appeared beside Ophelia. "As such, the Guardian of All and the Dark One contest with each other to see who will rule the Spirit Realms (and ultimately, the Mortal Realms) over all for the next thousand years."

"He lost," whispered Firesprite, realizing what this would mean for her and her colleagues.

"Hardly," snorted Celeste with a wry smile. "The Dark One pulled his dirty trick, and now our Guardian is dead, but at the expense of the Dark One as well. So now it's a race…"

"To who can bring forth their next leader the fastest, put them on the thrown, and battle against the other's chosen for the ruling of the next thousand years," finished Ophelia with a slight frown. "Now here's our real problem: What do we do? Personally, I believe we should keep our peace here and send our helpers to find our Chosen and then make our plans from there once he or she is found."

"I will search for him, for me and my Brethren Wynds can find him or her faster than our helpers can," said Zephyr, or Wyndcatcher as he was known here, appearing beside Lili with his wings folded behind him neatly. "It would be the wisest choice, for both speed and silence would be our helpers. Also, if they tried to mount an attack here the rest of you would still be here to put your powers against them."

"He as a point," admitted Ophelia with a shrug. "But still…"

"Kill them all!!" cried the Guardian of the Darkness, the one who alone battled with those in the Dark fortress regularly to keep them in check. Tintaro was his name, and his people that he had been chosen from was a race of gallant and proud warriors within their time. "Let us destroy their castle once and for all and rid ourselves of them forever! Think of the peace we could have then…" His face was lined deeply with age and stress, his well-muscled frame beginning to show its years with its slight stoop.

"We cannot," said Zephyr sharply, drawing back his lips to bare his fangs at him. "You know this, Tintaro. The balance between light and dark binds us!! It cannot be destroyed…"

"It matters not to me what we do," said the Guardian of Time, a wizened, elfish woman who was nearly bent double with age. "I am who I am, and can never be replaced. I have seen kingdoms rise and fall…to soar at first only to falter once their arrogance has begun to rule their lives. Everything will eventually balance out in the end."

"And you will still be here, Celeste, recording the events of time safely in your 'untouchable' hole down under ground," sneered Tintaro angrily. "For the sake of our realm, I will not let them defeat us!"

"It is the Guardian of Time's just to record the tippings of the scales, and predict when the dark and light ages are to come," replied the woman lightly with a shrug. "Just as their Ruler of Time does his best to control the outcome of events so he can weaken the light and strengthen the dark. As always, neither of us can be destroyed or kill, and if all the others are wiped out it is left on our shoulders to carry on until we can rebuild our side once more."

"Leave her alone, Tintaro," said Ophelia, stepping in as he began to retort something. He nodded slightly after a moment's pause. "It is only who she is, same as you or I she cannot go against the post that has been assigned to us."

"I know…I know…"

"Is it true?!" cried a Silver Dragon, flying into the room as he landed among them near the throne. His keening cry echoed through the chambers as he affirmed by sight the fact that the Guardian of All was dead. 

"It will be alright, Starhunter," said Firesprite, laying her hand on his head for a moment before turning away slowly. The Guardian of the Skies (which included the sun, moon, and stars) only laid his great, scaled head down and sighed, his grief nearly enough to send him into another bout of wails. "What is it that you would have me do now, friends?" he whispered, a huge tear running down his face.

"We do not know yet, brother," replied Wyndcatcher, bowing his head as well. "We cannot agree on the best course of action…"

"Who is missing?" asked Tintaro suddenly, glancing about the group. "Death, life, wynds (which includes weather), sky, …I am dark…and he was light…" He motioned at the dead Guardian on the throne. "At that's left then, is-"

"Us," came a pair of voices near the door, a set of twins who couldn't be a day over 11 or 12 years old walking. 

"Guardian of the Sea," said one.

"And Guardian of the Earth," said the other.

"We are all here, then," said Tintaro with a nod. "Now about the best course of action-"

"We're not destroying their fortress, Tintaro!"

"I didn't say that, Starhunter!"

"Destroy the fortress?! That's blasphemy!"

"Blasphemy my-"

"Knock it off, Tintaro!"

"Hey, enough of that, youngling."

"Youngling?! I've been doing this longer than you!"

"I am still wiser in the ways of others."

"Wiser? Yeah, right…"

"**_ENOUGH!_**"

Everyone stopped and looked at Firesprite, her wings spread wide with red feathers drifting everywhere as she tried to block out the noise by clamping her hands over ears. "Listen to me, and heed my word well," she said more calmly, though her voice still rung over them like peals of thunder from the sky. "**I **will take the seeker which shall lead us to the One.  **I **will find him or her and bring them here. **You** will stay here and watch over our home until I return. Is that understood?"

"What about me, Firesprite?" asked Wyndcatcher. He flexed his own, bat-like wings carefully. "What would you have me do?"

She smiled at him slightly, having known that he would guess that his assignment would not be theirs. "Go the Mortal Realms. Tell those there to wait patiently for their children's return, for I will do everything in my power to make sure it is so. Now go."

"Yes, Firesprite." He turned and leapt out the nearest window, flying high in the sky before disappearing entirely from sight.

"Give me the Seeker, Tintaro," ordered Firesprite, towering over the Guardian of Darkness as he reluctantly did so. "I will return with our Chosen soon. Keep our home safe until then. Goodbye." And with that; she, too, disappeared.

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A creaked open within the great Dark Fortress as one of the servants scuttled in, his dark eyes scanning the room and seeing his Dark Lord on the throne before coming forward with his noon meal in his hands.

"M'lord," he said quietly, bowing before him and keeping his eyes cast down as he held the tray above his hands. "I hath brought thine- AUGHHH!!!" 

A great bell clanged through the entire hold, each member instantly knowing in their heart that the Dark Lord was dead. Another had to be found, for the race was on…and now was their chance to rule the Realms.

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Zephyr appeared in the sky above the Mortal Realms, quickly swooping down towards the small campfire on the ground as he quickly identified the humans beside it. "Genki!! Holly!!" he yelled, hoping to wake them before he landed. 

Holly sat up, her eyes deftly picking him out of the sky before shaking Genki awake. "Zephyr!!" she yelled, beckoning for him to hurry. He landed before them, comforting the woman as she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed quietly.

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered, putting a paw on her back. "The children will be fine. Lili has left to find them in the Spirit Realms, and she said to tell you that she will not stop until they are found and brought back to you, Holly. The twins, and Kenjou, and Allen."

"Thank you," whispered Holly, letting go and going back to Genki, who stood there mutely as he put his arms around her. His eyes were haunted as he exchanged looks with Zephyr, but accepted his words with a nod.

"We will stay here until they return," he said quietly, his jaw clenched as he thought of them all, lost and alone somewhere in the Spirit Realms. "Thank you, Zephyr."

"Your welcome," replied Zephyr with a slight, sad smile. "Many things are happening, Genki. Many that I do not understand…I must return and see how else I can help my people there."

"Of course," said Genki, putting a hand on Zephyr's head for a moment before backing away with Holly still hanging on to him in her grief. "Go. We await your return and that of Lili's with hope."

Zephyr nodded and leapt back up into the sky, his wings bringing him to greater heights before he disappeared altogether from sight.

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Firesprite silently flew threw the forests surrounding the Abbey, the Seeker giving her a pulsing guide to go by. Her bright red wings and aurora dimmed by a force within her that spoke of secrecy, she pressed on through the trees as night began to fall. Somehow, she knew when she found the Chosen she would find her missing friends. She did not know how, but somehow she knew…

She had been going for two days; no sleep, no food, and no rest. So when she thought she saw something in the distance, she wondered if it wasn't her exhaustion playing tricks on her eyes. 

It was a column of smoke from a valley below that caught her attention, a flash of blue and silver hair from the tops of the trees confirming that is was her friends. She was just thirty feet from the camp, and could make out their forms among the trees when she stopped. A legion of dark beings were watching them on all sides from the trees, weapons out and armor in place…the sun setting before them, it was impossible to make out their forms in the lengthening shadows by mortal eyes…their leader raised his hand to start the attack…

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Allen and Kenjou sat across from Annie and Z, a rabbit roasting on a spit between them as they chewed their way through some hard, stale bread. A hollowed shell from a nut served as cups and each slowly sipped their water so as to not waste it. There were no close spots near the small river that weren't swamp or marshland, and none of them wanted to make the ten-minute track back in the growing dark.

"Two days," whispered Z, hugging his knees to his chest against the cold. 

"Two days what?" asked Annie, her eyes closed as she rested her head in her hands. 

"Two days since we came here," he replied quietly. "Two days since we were gone, and our lives changed so…it is a beautiful place, I will give you that, but I would give everything just to be with mom and dad again at home."

"We draw closer to the Abbey everyday," said Kenjou with a shrug, trying to be hopeful and failing somewhat. "Soon, we shall be there…"

"If we don't reach the bottom of the mountain it sits on soon we won't have the strength to climb to it's base to reach the place," retorted Annie lightly, turning her head so she looked at him over the fire with eyes that shone with unshed tears. "An Abbey in the sky does us no good if we can't reach it."

"She is right," admitted Allen sadly. "We need fresh food, meat and bread…man cannot live on fruit alone."

"What do you call this?" asked Z, checking the rabbit and deeming it done as he removed it from the spit. "Is not much, but will help us get along."

"One rabbit for the four of us will not be enough," said Annie with a sigh. Her stomach growled as if in agreeance. "Erg…I could care less if its undercooked, Z, I'm eating my part now regardless."

"It is, sister, so don't worry about that," replied Z, cutting off her part and handing it to her carefully. She took the hot meat from his hands and speared it on her knife, slowly chewing it to make it last as long as possible.

"Ok," said Z, his head down low enough as he concentrated on the carcass of the rabbit that he couldn't see the dark forms creeping up behind Allen and Kenjou. Annie did, though. Kenjou got a queer feeling in his stomach as she suddenly stuffed her meat in her mouth, eyes wide with surprise (and maybe even fear) as she threw it past it head with a speed that shocked them all.

A dull thud showed that whatever it was she had hit was quickly felled, a small reassurance as several others leapt out of the trees at them with howls of anger and delight.

"Grab on!" cried Allen, making sure they were all close enough to touch each other as he scattered the fire towards their enemies, snatching up his sword as he tried to fend them off before his eyes were adjusted.

Kenjou drew his own blade as Annie and Z stood back to back, each one holding a dirk as their other hand clasped their twin's behind their back. The quartet fought fiercely as they attempted to break through the force in front of them, but could not hold off them all as wave after wave of fresh demons came at them screaming their blood-curdling cries. 

A net was finally thrown over their heads, effectively entrapping them all in its snares. Allen tried to cut his way free, but almost sliced off hand as he did. Their weapons yanked from their hands, and weights attached to the net so they couldn't get out of it, they were forced to lay or sit on the ground as they fell from the weight. No one was really sure who was where, and since it was too dark to see and too loud to hear each other they just hoped they were in a somewhat decent position for the time being. 

Allen was reaching for his hidden dagger, knowing his left boot where it was hidden was away from the rest of the group in hopes he might be able to somewhat set them free when the clearing burst into flame, every being in the area going up in smoke seconds later. 

A figure wreathed in scarlet came forward from the side, her very hair and eyes seemingly the source of the fire.

"Lili…" whispered Allen as he shielded his eyes from the extra light. He took advantage of the ability to see to disentangle himself from the others, leaving the teens in a bit of a predicament as he watched her wrathful vengeance come down on those who had attacked her friends. It was a gruesome sight, to be sure, but seeing her power had always struck him in a way that he could not stop watching.

 The teens behind him were a bit preoccupied to see what he was seeing at the moment, having a slight problem of their own. Z lay facedown in the dirt, sprawled out entirely on his stomach. His sister, Annie, lay face-up with her back on his, her weight just enough (plus that of the net) to keep him pinned where he was. But that wasn't the problem. Kenjou lay with his head on her chest, his left side so entangled in the rope that it could not get free and his right hand trapped between the twin's backs. Z wasn't really aware there was a problem, being rather engrossed by the dancing flames before him that he could see from his Aunt, but the other two were quite aware of the other's presence and the proximity at which the other lay.

Kenjou would've apologized if he thought he had any chance at all of being heard over the roar of the flames and the sound of the creatures screaming in their torturous death. Right now he wasn't so sure that his cries wouldn't be joining theirs the moment they were free and Annie could get her hands around his neck.

The last of the demons died as the fires began to disappear, their very  cores wiped out as the Firesprite made a few motions with her hands. Coming to them quickly, she touched the net and it vanished in a flash of heat, only a bit of ash remaining where it had once been. 

Kenjou moved in a flash, nearly bowling over his Uncle in his race to scramble away. Firesprite noted this with a slight smile, seeing Annie lying there for a moment with a rather…unusual look on her face before getting off her protesting brother. 

"Are you alright?" she asked, helping Kenjou, Annie, and Z to their feet. Allen struggled to his on his own, to proud to ask for help though his back was killing him from the fall. 

"Aunt Lili!!" Firesprite smiled as both of the twins hugged her from each side, immediately launching into questions about what had happened and where their parents where. 

"Your parents are back home, and are fine," replied Firesprite carefully, seeing the moon rise overhead. "You have no idea how relieved I am to find you are safe as well."

"A little scratched and bruised, but otherwise fine," replied Annie, barely glancing at Kenjou. He seemed to look rather relieved himself at that and she could not help but wonder what had happened while she was destroying those vermin.

"And still in a good mood, to boot," said Firesprite with a slight smile. She saw a bit of red on Kenjou's arm and frowned. "Keni, are you alright…?"

He glanced down, feeling a stab of pain for the first time as he realized his bare arm had been laced with burns when the net had been sears away. "I guess not…"

"Come," she said, nodding to their right. "I will tend to it when we are safe. Time is still moving, and whoever sent the legion will soon come by to figure out why they aren't back yet. We must leave while we still can."

"Where to?" asked Allen, his face a mask which none could read. 

"This way," she replied lightly, bringing them up the slope she had come until she stopped by a nook in a cliff face, a small cave there where they might bed for the night. She lit a smokeless fire and brought out the provisions she'd carried with her, seeing their eyes stare at the food longingly as it warmed.

"How did you find us?" asked Annie after a few moments of silence, the only sound being Firesprite's hum as she smoothed salve over Kenjou's burns. "I mean, I know you can go anywhere in the realm, but without some sort of guiding mark…how did you do it?"

"That stone there, the one that glows yet," replied Firesprite, motioning to the shaped rock to her right. "I will explain that part in a moment. But here's what I want to know: what happened to you? How did you get here?"

"We do not know," replied Allen. He went on and explained their trip until now. He talked of the field of dreams and the fruit they found, the wonderful colors and seeing the two establishments in the distance. He explained how they had walked on and on, ate what they could find that was edible and made the little provisions each had had with them last as long as they could over the two days of walking. He talked about how they'd found water and a camp for the night, finding the rabbit by pure luck and putting it over the spit and were about to eat it when those things dropped on them. "We fought," he said, hand clenched in a fist. "Oh, did we ever. But they over came us. Had you not shown up…there might not be an us right now."

"I shall disagree with you on that point for now," said Firesprite with a slight nod. "Let me explain why I think you were pulled into our world. You see…" She explained what had happened with the Guardian of All and the Dark Lord having their battle, and them both dying instead of just one of them losing. And of the race to find their next Chosen leaders and such. When she had finished, Firesprite sat back against the wall of the cliff, ladling the soup into bowls that the rest quickly wolfed down and adding a hunk of bread from the edge of the fire as well to supplement the meal.

"That is quite amazing," admitted Z with his mouthful, he and his sister looking exactly like their father as they tactlessly ate everything in sight. "But what does that have to do with us??"

"Nothing, yet perhaps everything," mused Firesprite, hearing a call that mortals could not detect. "Wyndcatcher is coming."

"Wind…catcher…?" Allen gave her an odd look.

"Zephyr," explained Firesprite with an odd smile. "We are no longer allowed to go our mortal names once we have entered these realms as a Guardian."

"Firesprite," came a familiar voice as he materialized beside her, a tired look on his face.

"You spoke with them?" she asked, getting him a bowl of water from her water skin. "What did they say?"

"They trust you to bring the younglings home," replied Wyndcatcher, lapping the water up slowly. 

"Thank you." She gave him a hug, seeing the puzzled looks of the others. "Zephyr went to see your parents," she explained. "Well, Genki and Holly to be exact. They will tell your mother, Kenjou, so she will not become worried. It is best that they know you are safe."

"Why can't you two just transport us home the way you do yourselves?" asked Z with an inquiring look.

"Just can't," replied Wyndcatcher tiredly. "It's always been that way. Mortals must use the portals. Those who have persuaded Guardians to take them their way have killed the Guardian in the process- at the expense of their own lives as well."

"Where are we going now?" asked Annie, petting Wyndcatcher's back as he had appeared between her and Firesprite. "Home? To the portal that will take us there?"

"First to the Abbey," replied Firesprite with a warm smile. "And then home. It is a long journey, but I will guide you there. We stop at the abbey only for supplies, and then we will go."

"Thank you," said Kenjou, honestly grateful for the help she was giving them.

"I owe all your parents more than you guys can ever know," replied Firesprite softly. "Even yours, Kenjou. The least I can do is bring them their children and brother home safely. They would do the same for me if I needed them to, no matter what the circumstances."

She glanced around the circle, seeing they were all tired and ready to drop from the evening's 'events'. "Enough of that for now, though. Here, take these and go lay down in the cave. Wyndcatcher and I shall take the first watch."

All of them thanked her and took the proffered blankets, quickly falling asleep in the piles of straw that covered the floor of the cave. Wyndcatcher fell into a trance, soon followed by her as they set up a barrier around the camp before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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*Blinks* Maybe it's just me…but I'm having issues with parts of this, personally. Let me know what you think, etc. Please review *sniffs pitifully* it does my heart good to see you guys giving my work comments and such. Please?? ^_^ 

On another note…I do believe I got smacked in one of the reviews. *Rubs face* *Mutters* Didn't have to be that hard, you know… : P

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	3. 

*Yawn* Is tired and sore, but glad to be back! Had junior exits and festival this week…plus other plans for a friend…has been quiet crazy for Crosseyedbutterfly indeed. @_@ No, I haven't forgotten you guys, I was just forced to let something call high school take precedent for a while. Just a little while. Well, enough of my babbling, here's Chapter 3! 

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Firesprite was the first to wake that morning, her and Wyndcatcher easily bringing in a couple of large rabbits for them to eat. By the time the rest were up and washed, the small beasts were cleaned and spit over the flames. 

"Smells good," said Kenjou, lying beside the fire as he lay on his back facing the ceiling. 

"Catch," said Firesprite out of the blue, tossing the stone she'd carried with her thus far on a hunch at the nephew of her closest friend. 

"Huh?!" He caught it, blue beams of light shooting out everywhere from the spaces his hands didn't cover. A soft hum came from it as well, filling the whole cave as he stared at it for a moment before dropping it in fear. "Ah!"

"Careful," said Firesprite, picking it up gracefully with a slight frown. "Well…it certainly likes you, doesn't it??"

"I don't get it," said Kenjou, rubbing his hands nervously as he glanced around the room. "What is that thing??"

"It's the Seeker," explained Firesprite, tossing it at Annie next. It began to glow as well, though not as brightly. It hummed, but not as loudly and its power was felt in a lesser way as she held it in her hands. "Hm…interesting…"

"I still don't get it," said Kenjou, looking rather confused. "What's a 'Seeker', Firesprite?"

"It is the stone that leads us to our Chosen, and the Dark side to theirs," said Lili, giving it to Z next. Once again, it glowed and hummed, but it was the same as when it had been given to Annie. She took it from him and extended it towards Allen. "Well, well…hm…Allen, you try it now."

"I don't see why," said Allen, taking it from her hands. "It seems like a waste of time to me…" They all stared as it got no reaction at all, Lili frowning as she took it from him and put it in the pouch she carried it in. 

"That's strange…"

"Why didn't it glow for him, Firesprite?" asked Wyndcatcher, his muzzle quivering slightly in puzzlement. 

"I'm…not sure," she replied, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, it should've gone off in an explosion of light like the rest…it reacts to all life…"

"Maybe it has to do with before…" said Allen, meeting her eyes meaningfully. She looked away and shook her head. 

"No," she said firmly. "Ophelia…she can't keep that back, Allen. Once…given that chance, it is the same as if it had never happened…" She glanced around the room, seeing the others give the two of them puzzled looks. "Look, just forget about it, alright? We'll get it straightened out when we get back to the abbey…"

"Which will be later this afternoon," said Wyndcatcher, pulling the meat off the fire and passing around everyone their portions on wooden plates. "Hurry up and eat, I want to get home."

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It was raining lightly when they appeared in front of the abbey, all of them standing in a circle holding hands so the two Guardians could transport them there.

"Home again," said Firesprite with a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face as the doors opened on their own to let them in. "Wyndcatcher, go round up the others, we need to-"

"Talk," finished Ophelia for her, appearing before her in the blink of an eye. "You have returned, Guardian of the Living. Was is successful?"

"I will not know until Tintaro arrives," replied Firesprite, glancing over her shoulder at the others with her. "I do have someone with me I think you will recognize, though…"

Allen came forward, bowing low as his silver hair fell in cascades about him. "Milady, we have met before, I do believe…"

"The destined one," observed Ophelia, an odd look on her face. "It is good to see that my work has not gone to waste."

"I thank you for your assistance, Guard Ophelia," said Allen with a slow nod. 

"Of course, mortal."

"You're back!!" cried Starhunter, flying in from the circular hole in the roof to land before them in a rush of wind. "We were getting worried, Firesprite…"

"I was fine, you scamp," said Firesprite, scratching the dragon's head affectionately. "Where are they others? They should be here by-" *poof* "-now."

"You have returned safely," observed Celeste, giving her a slight nod of approval. "Good work, fellow Guardian."

"Finally," grumbled Tintaro, ignoring those behind the two Guardians who had returned as he held his hand out demandingly. "Now, give me the Seeker!"

"Not yet," said Firesprite, holding up her hand warningly. 

"Sorry we're late," said the twin Guardians, popping in suddenly from the side door. 

"It's alright, Guardians Tris and Chan," said Firesprite, giving them each a nod before returning to the matter at hand. "Tintaro, there is something wrong with the Seeker."

"What do you mean, wrong with the Seeker??" demanded Tintaro, his face turning and interesting shade of red. "Did you break it?!

"No."

"Then, what makes you say that?!"

"It won't react to Allen, here," said Firesprite, motioning for Allen to come forward again. "It will to his nephew, and the twins, but not to him…"

"Let me see that," said Tintaro, taking it from her hands and saying a few words, a flash of light showing along the surface before he handed it back to her with a grim look on his face. "Now try it."

"Alright…" She turned to Allen, handing it to him carefully.

He took it from her and the moment it touched his hands, it all but exploded with light and sound that filled the room. Waves of blue interspersed with the green that came from it bathed the faces of those who watched, Firesprite turning pale as she realized what it meant. 

"No…"

Allen put it down, a fearful but understanding look on his face. "I…it's me, isn't it??"

"What?!" cried Kenjou. "Will someone please explain what's going on here? Why didn't it react to him before??"

"It was set to react the most to those closest to the Chosen," explained Tintaro with a satisfied look on his face. "Now, it was set to react to the one who Is, and it reacted to him. He is the Chosen."

"No!" cried Firesprite, taking the stone from the pillar it had been set on and saying a few words of her own over it before putting it back in her pouch. "It can't…it has to be wrong!!"

Allen held out his arms beseechingly. "Lili…please, I…"

"Never!!" she cried, pushing him away as she looked at him with eyes that were bright with unshed tears. "I've put too much of myself into this just to let it all be…blown away like this! I cannot- will not accept this! Ophelia, he died once, he cannot take this role since he has been there already, right?!" Seeing her friend nod her head slowly, Firesprite felt herself fall apart inside. "No…there has to be someone else, anyone! Just not him…!"

Annie, Kenjou, and Z stepped back some, watching as the Guardians folded around their fellow Guardian and Allen stood beside her as well. Firesprite fell to the floor in her grief, blocking her from sight as Tris and Chris detached themselves from the group to come stand beside the trio.

"The whole point of me becoming Guardian was to protect you and the others!" they heard through the rest. "To protect you from harm and danger for as long as you would live…"

"Shh," whispered Allen from somewhere in the group. "I know, I know…but now it's my turn to be the protector…"

"Come," said Tris, turning her back on the display and heading out one of the side doors. Her voice cracked as she tried to control the emotion that was in it. "There is nothing you can do to help her, and you are tired and hungry. We will show you where you can sleep and give you something to eat."

"Our thanks," said Z, answering for all of them as he followed them down the hall. Kenjou hesitated for a second, wishing to remain with his uncle but following as Annie shook her head and tugged on his sleeve gently. 

"When will we see them again?" asked Annie, coming up even beside Tris.

"Hopefully in the morning," answered Chris with a shrug. "Guardian Firesprite is…special to us. She will be taken care of in the best way possible that the elders can think of."

"I take it you do not count to be among the 'elders'?" asked Kenjou, smiling wryly.

"No, we do not," replied Tris, shrugging as she did. "We are allowed to do our duties, and sit in on most of the meetings, but that is it. Even though we have been here longer than some of the 'Senior' members and just don't age very fast…"

"Granted, it's not like we fight to be allowed to do more," added Chan with a slight smile. "I happen to enjoy sleeping in most mornings and not staying up into the wee hours of the dawn just to finish this or that report. Being treated like a kid for a little while longer will do me no harm."

"That is very true," admitted Annie with a slight smile. 

"Here it is," said Chris, opening a door on their left. Inside were three large beds and a table full of food. A couple of doors opened up into there as well, showing the rooms they branched off into. "Through the door on the right is the baths, and the closet over there holds clothes all of you can use until yours are cleaned and mended. Dinner is here for you, as you can see, and we will discuss what is to happen next in the morning."

"Thank you," said Annie, bowing respectfully to them before going in and falling to the food with a will.

"Yes, thanks," added her twin and Kenjou, joining her there quickly. The twins smiled at each other and disappeared down the hall, the door shutting behind them as they did.

"They will be fine," said Tris to Chris quietly. "Come, lil bro, we have other things to attend to."

"I know," he replied with a nod. 

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Annie sat on her bed with Z sprawled beside her, Kenjou sitting across from them backwards in a chair. They had all let themselves soak in the large tub in the other room, the water appearing clean by the time the next one entered. Clothed in warm, soft tunics and pants and stuffed full of delicious food, they were content to lie back for a while and relax for once. Bantering back and forth, with their eyes beginning to feel heavy and yawns punctuating their conversation occasionally, it was a very relaxed atmosphere indeed.

"Ok, Kenjou," said Z after awhile, stretching out his back with a sigh. "Do you have any idea what was going on out there earlier, between him and Lili? There has to be something, for there to be a show like that. Allen's your uncle, after all, and you do see him the most out of all of us …"

"Any understanding we have might help us understand what exactly is going on around us," added Annie with nod. "Come on, Keni, I know you're hiding something, so spill."

"Look," said Kenjou, turning pink at the use of her 'pet-name' for him. He hadn't heard her use it in years… "All I know is what my mother told me. That, and what I got from Uncle Allen's and Aunt Lili's journals."

"I'm not going to ask how you got them," said Z lightly, waving his hand slightly. "That is probably suicidal information to have, right?? But, go on. This sounds interesting."

"Well, Allen and Lili were good friends before the 'Wars', as we know it," explained Kenjou, settling himself more comfortably on the chair with his hair partially obscuring his face. "Then Genki returned and they went together to defeat that evil guy. Some things happened while they were gone…Lili saved Allen's life, she broke them out of prison at one point…stuff like that. The adventures we've all heard bits and parts about our whole life. Like we could help it, being related to such famous people…anyways…things were going as we have always heard. But, well, Lili and Allen apparently cared for each other as more than friends, though. It's rather obvious in the time Lili almost killed herself to save Uncle Blue. Yeah, the big, blue stone-ice guy who's always with Aunt Pixie. Allen had fit, yelled at her so much she refused to talk to him for a while. So, yeah…" Kenjou went on and explained about Allen and Genki's capture, and Allen being planted with the dark seed. Then Lili killing him to save the rest, and the Phoenix bringing him back from the dead  with Ophelia's consent and help to live to his 'true destiny'. Then, Lili becoming the Guardian of the Living to replace the Phoenix and the order returning to the Monster World once more. It lasted for an hour or more, but by the time it was done Annie and Z had a much better understanding on things than before.

"Wow," said Annie, resting her chin in her hand as she stared into the distance sadly. "I…uh, I don't know what to say…or to think, for that matter."

"My uncle has what he calls the 'Allen Complex'," explained Kenjou, looking at Annie out of the corner of his eye. "That means he can't admit his true feelings for another…even when it means losing the person in the process…like Lilianne, or Firesprite as she is now called."

Annie averted her eyes, coughing slightly. Tucking a bit of hair behind her ear, she studied her hand and shrugged slightly as she waited for one of the other two to say something.

"Let's leave it for the morning," suggested Z, dragging himself off her bed and into his own, leaving his slippers and shirt on the floor before drawing the curtains closed and mumbling a muffled goodnight to the other two.

"Well, I guess that settles it," said Annie, avoiding Kenjou's eyes and she quickly shut the curtain to her bed as well. "Night, you two."

"Night," whispered Kenjou, swallowing as he picked up the chair and put it back at the table, climbing into his own bed as well. He wished he could…well…but he was too much like his uncle in that respect. Smiling wryly, he sighed and rolled over, falling a sleep before his head touched the pillow.

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Holly and Genki stared at the dawn; her things packed in the book bag and her blades on her feet. The light touched her brown hair, giving it golden strands that shone like the sun and a sparkle in her eyes that he had not seen for days. "Are you sure?" asked Genki for the tenth time, a worried look on his face.

"I am," replied Holly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek in reassurance. "Someone has to tell her, Genki! Kenjou's mother would kill us if she found out we'd kept something like this from her… Besides, I cannot sit about here and do nothing no longer. I'll go crazy if I try! Right now, keeping Kenjou's mother informed is the best thing I can do."

"As well as her mother," groaned Genki with a nod. "René is a very sweet woman, yes, but also extremely protective of her kin…"

"That's a good thing, dear," said Holly, shouldering her pack and making sure her pendent was in place. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise…"

"If this weren't necessary, I wouldn't let you do this…" said Genki, giving her a final hug before backing off a step. "Take care, Holly. Phoenix's speed!"

"And Phoenix's strength!" Holly called back over her shoulder with a grin. "Bye!"

Genki watched sadly as Holly disappeared into the trees, leaving him alone to wait for their children's return. It would be a very long, silent, and lonely wait, now, indeed…

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Kenjou woke first as sunrays from a skylight that he had not noticed the night before filtered down into his bed. He softly groaned as he raised himself from the bed, of course he'd be the one with the bed in just the right angle to be awoken at dawn!

Glancing about the room as he tried to get his hair in order, he noticed Annie had opened the curtains to her bed sometime the night before. A look at where her brother slept showed a hand sticking out through the curtains on the floor and loud, obnoxious snores coming from its occupant inside. 

He looked back at Annie, sitting down in the chair beside her bed where he'd slept the night before. A hand tucked under her pillow and the other clasping in the blanket to herself with the whole things surrounding her like a nest of some sort, he could've sworn she looked like she'd never hurt another being in her entire life. Her hair was sticking every which way, and his fingers itched to settle it -but he got up and moved towards the door, aware that he had been sitting there far longer than he should have already. 

Grabbing a muffin from the breakfast that had been set out on the table, he changed clothes into the ones that were set out for them in the closet before heading out into the hall, retracing his steps from the night before. The gray tunic and pants fit comfortably, and went well with the cream over tunic that came with it. The whole thing was trimmed with silver thread, in a loopy pattern that had taken him a moment to puzzle out when he'd realized it was there.

Finding the main hall was no problem, threading his way along with through the narrow and twisted halls. He looked about it, finding it to be empty other than the dragon that had been there the day before in the middle of the room, staring longingly at the throne at one end with a banner for every Guardian behind it. "Hello?" said Kenjou softly, coming up behind the scaled beast rather timidly. His weapons and whip had disappeared with his clothes, leaving him defenseless other than his instincts, and he had no idea how this being would react to his presence.

"Hm?" The dragon's head swiveled around slightly, the silver scales glinting in the light as a silver-blue eye regarded him in surprise. "Oh, it's you! You were one of those who accompanied the Chosen." He turned and bowed, his neck tilting slightly as he inspected the small human before him. "I am Starhunter, Guardian of the Skies. Is there someway I can help you, mortal?"

Kenjou nodded. "I am looking for my Uncle-"

"Go that way," said Starhunter, his voice ringing slightly as he pointed to the hall behind him. "You will find He who was Chosen in the room with the Guardian of the Living's name on it. I can say no more." With that, the beast leapt into the air and spread out his wings, going through the circular opening in the ceiling into the skies.

"Whoa," said Kenjou, staring after Starhunter for a few moments before shaking himself free of the daze. "Ok…down that hallway in the room marked with Lili's-or Firesprite's- name."

Kenjou looked once more around the plain, stone room before going down the hallway that had been indicated slowly. The hall was wider here, and taller, big enough that creatures like Starhunter could fit down it two or three abreast with ease. Each door was heavily ornamented, and had a name or word carved into the frame in a flowing script that took the young man a moment to figure it out so he could go on. 

"Scrolls," read Kenjou, looking at every door on either side of the hall. "Starhunter… Tintaro… Celeste…Bookkeeping….Ancient Histories… hmm…Tris…Chan…Firesprite!!" The door he wanted was slightly open, so he peaked inside and hoped he wasn't coming in at a bad time. Allen lay sprawled across the bed, still fully clothed and his legs hanging off the edge as if he'd just fallen off it after a long night of…whatever it'd been he'd been doing.

Kenjou stepped back away from the door and knocked loudly, hearing his uncle answer groggily a few moments later. "Huh? Someone out there??"

"Just me, Uncle," said Kenjou, walking in and sitting beside the bed in a chair he dragged over from the desk. "So tell me, what are you doing in Aunt Lili's bed??"

"In what?" Allen glanced around, looking somewhat confused. "So that's where they led me last night…"

"Good grief, Uncle, you didn't even ask?! What if you'd ended up spending the night with that old Time Keeper lady and she'd decided to partake of your 'youthful innocence'?!" teased Kenjou, laughing lightly.

"I was so out of it I doubt I would've noticed if the huge dude with the wild hair had tried to," replied Allen with a shrug. He sat up slowly and yawned as he stretched his arms. "By the Phoenix, that was a long night…"

"That good, huh?" asked Kenjou with a wink.

"Enough of that from you, nephew," said Allen, sitting up suddenly, flinging a pillow at his younger relative. "You must respect your elders, you know!"

"I do," protested Kenjou, ducking under the flying missile. "At least those who count."

"Hey!"

"He does have a point, you know," added Lili from the doorway, a tired smile on her face with the pillow in her hands. "Good morning Allen, Kenjou."

"Morning, Aunt Lili!"

"Morning…Firesprite."

"Where did you sleep last night?" asked Kenjou, looking rather confused. "Uncle says you weren't in here, and this is your room…"

"I didn't," replied Firesprite with a shrug. "There were other things to be taken care of, Keni."

"I take it some it was what is to happen next," said Allen, standing and straightening his clothes some.

"Yes, it did," replied Firesprite slowly, leaning on her desk with her head bowed. "I suppose you'll want to know now instead of waiting until later…"

"Yep," replied Kenjou, settling down more comfortably so he could listen better.

"It would be nice," added Allen, tying back his silver hair with a bit of hemp from his pocket. 

"You are going on the journey of the Trials," said Firesprite softly. "And then, perhaps, to find the Crown. You will be told of it more later on. As for you, Kenjou, and the twins, you will come with me to find the Portal that will lead you back to the Mortal Realms."

"Aww, I wanna stick around to see Allen become the Chosen One," muttered Kenjou. "You always get all the fun, Uncle."

"Somehow, I don't get the feeling it won't be fun," said Allen to himself, seeing the way Firesprite refused to meet his gaze head on. 

"There won't be much for you to see anyways, you would only be in the way," said Firesprite, going to stand before Kenjou and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Please, go wake the others and get them to the main hall, we are leaving soon as it your Uncle. I must tell Allen of his Trials before it is time…"

"Yes, Aunt Lili," said Kenjou solemnly, understanding this was not the time for fun and games. He stood and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, for helping us as you have."

"It is what I owe your family," Firesprite reminded him, slightly returning the bow. Kenjou nodded and headed out the door, breaking into a trot as soon as he was out of sight. He had to get back to Annie and Z quickly if they were to have time to get packed…things were definitely starting to pick up again.

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It's not a cliffie, really it isn't!! Just think of it as…and slightly shortened chapter? A section without a real conclusion?? 0.o Please don't not review because of it, please!! *sob*

Anywho, let me know what you think and such…it is kind to do so. Much thanks to those of you who reviewed before ^_^ I love you guys!! 

Love and Peace! Ducks and Geese!

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	4. 

And we're back again, getting ready to kick off chapter four! Updating has been sporadical and I know there's no real exact time frame I use, chaptering coming up within a few days or a few weeks of each other, and I apologize but whenever I try and set a schedule something called life happens and it goes all haywire on me. So, to make up for that, I'm using as much of my break as I can to get you lots of chapters to keep you happy! 

Now, go on and read this wonderfully prepared chapter, it would make me feel very special indeed.

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Holly walked up the lane of Allen's family's house; a huge two-story ranch that had taken place of the original one that was razed along with the town during the Wars Allen, Lili, Genki and Holly had fought in so long ago.

Rene and her husband used one of the side wings, his forge and her garden right beside it. A couple of the other siblings and their families lived there as well, Kenjou's mother and the rest of his siblings among them.

Holly nervously tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and knocked on the door, adjusting the strap of her pack as the noonday sun beat down on her from overhead. It had been awhile since she'd been here, and it her visits had never had this sort of purpose either. This was not something she was looking forward too.

"Hello?" said Rene, opening the door slightly. When she saw who it was, she flung open the door and darted out to squeeze the life out Holly with a rib crushing hug. "Oh!! Holly dear, it's been forever and then some since we've seen you!! Where's Genki, though? I don't see that young rogue about anywhere…"

"Genki is back at Lili's vale," said Holly, putting her hands on Rene's shoulders so she made sure she had the old woman's attention. "Oh, Rene, you don't know how good it is to see you too. But I have some news…and it isn't exactly good…"

"How rude of me," said Rene suddenly, seeing the tired lines on Holly's face and bringing her inside immediately. "Come on, dearie, first we get you some food and drink and a nice place to rest and then we'll hear your news. Who shall I get to hear it?"

"Your husband Jack, your self, and Kenjou's parents Meg and Tai," said Holly; gratefully sinking into the chair Rene had led her too. "Ah, I'm not as young as I used to be…"

"We never are, dear," said Rene sympathetically. "Looks like you ran, or rolled judging by those wheeled shoes your wearing, to death."

"Close enough," sighed Holly, tying her long brown hair out of her face and sipping the lemonade Rene set before her carefully. She removed her roller blades, setting them to the side so they wouldn't trip anyone. "Really, Rene, this is enough, you don't have to get me any food…"

"Knowing you, you haven't had a decent meant in days," countered Rene. "I'm making you a snack and that's that. Oh, and you are staying here for at least the night so don't get any ideas that I'm just going to let you roll off without getting a few good meals into you and a good night's sleep. I may not be able to monitor you younglings all the time, but I certainly can take care of you when you are in my home!"

"And I'm supposed to be a mother myself," grumbled Holly under her breath. "Rene, you're putting me to shame. It's a good thing my young ones aren't here as it is…"

"Are they staying with Coltia and her young man?" asked Rene, bustling about the large kitchen as Holly nursed her drink by the fire.

"As usual. They say it's good practice for the two of them," replied Holly with a shrug. 

"And it is," replied Rene firmly. "Gives them an idea of what they're getting themselves into before hand, ne?"

"Very true," admitted Holly.

"Hey, you," said a familiar voice, Holly finding herself embraced by a thick set of limbs as she was almost lifted out of the chair by the warm embrace. "Been avoiding us, have you?"

"It's good to see you too, Jack," said Holly, getting herself free before returning the hug. "And I'm sorry it's been so long, at times it can't be helped…"

"Last time I saw your eldest young ones they were just becoming young adults," said Jack, taking a long pull on his pipe before blowing out a perfect ring of smoke. "What are they now…17? 18? Nearly grown and we've missed most of it."

"I promise, as soon as everything is settled once more we'll come and visit, as a family," said Holly, squeezing his hand before settling down in the chair once more. 

"Settled down?" Jack's brows knit together in concern. "No more trouble, I hope…"

"Sort of…"

"Leave her be, Jack," admonished Rene, putting a mug of strong ale in his hands and ushering him towards the chair on the other side of the fire. "She'll tell her tale only once, and until then we must wait for the others to return."

"Would I be one of those?" asked Meg, walking in the door with a newborn baby girl in her arms. "Hello, Holly, long time no see."

"Long time no see," replied Holly getting up and giving her a gentle hug before turning her attention to the small bundle in her arms. "Oh…she's beautiful, Meg…may I?"

"Of course," said the proud mother, carefully putting her babe into Holly's arms. "Of all, I trust you to be careful with my little Keadi."

"Where are the other three?" asked Holly, absently rocking the baby back and forth from years of practice.

"Tilly is with Jackie at her work," said Meg with a grin. Her smiled widened a little. "Kagi and Kolin are together at the pond out back. Or at least that's where they said they were going..."

"They like to spy on that little girl who lives down the street, don't they?" said Holly, wrinkling her nose. "Little boys never change."

"Until they grow up, that is," said Rene, taking the baby from her and showing her the bowl of soup and bread that waited for her next to her chair. "Go eat, now. You can't start until Tai gets here anyways-"

"I'm right here," said Tai, running a hand through his short silver hair. "Holly! How are you? You haven't been here in forever, have you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," said Holly. She looked to Rene. "Everyone's here now, should I start?"

"Should we make ourselves comfortable before you do?"

"I don't know how long it will take," admitted Holly, taking a bite of the bread. "I do apologizes for the trouble, though, and that my visit is one of bad news…"

"We will anyways, then," said Rene, pulling up a chair. Tai did the same, Meg seating herself on the floor and nursing her child while leaning on her husband's legs for support. "And do not worry about your news, my dear, we will handle it as we do everything else in this world. Go on, dear, we're listening."

"Well, ok," said Holly doubtfully. "Let me start at the beginning. Genki and I were headed up from our hometown to go see Lili, as always, just after the twins had their 17th birthday like we do every year. The rest of the children we left at home this year, though, we had more important things to discuss like the pendants." Holly fished hers out of her shirt, looking at it as she continued her story. "Whether we were to pass them on to our eldest children when the time was right, or to find another who would use them instead. Allen went with us, though I don't thing he fully understood why we were going himself. And then, just a day's journey from it, Kenjou caught up with us and gave us the wonderful news of your baby girl, Meg."

"I insisted he go find Allen and tell him," said Meg, hugging the child gently. "And with this news you bring, it makes me fear it might've been a mistake."

"I don't know," admitted Holly. "But anyways, we got there and set up camp; Lili wished to speak with Allen and Genki so I took the young ones off to the side and began another lesson in herb lore when it started…" Holly wrapped her arms around herself, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks with every word. "There was a huge burst of light overhead and Lili shielded us from something…I'm not sure what, but it scorched all the vegetation around us to ash. Then, the sky went clear again and we assumed it was over…the portal to the spirit realms opened and sucked those closest to it, namely Allen, Z, Annie, and Kenjou…"

Meg gasped, as Rene turned as pale as a ghost. "The Spirit Realms…no…"

"Is that even possible?!" demanded Tai, rising to his feet suddenly. "No, that can't be, it just can't!"

"Unfortunately, it is," said Holly, putting a hand over her eyes as tears coursed down her face. "Don't give me that look, Tai, two of my children are in there as well. If there was something I could do, I would've done it but Zephyr told us we were going to have to wait until Lili could do something about it…"

"Then they are helping us?" asked Rene, her face drawn with a shadow of fear in her eyes. "Then there is a chance for them to come back, right?"

"It is not a deadly thing to be sent there," said Holly with a shrug. "I believe others have gone and returned before, it's just in light of all these strange occurrences that we have reason to worry…"

"Lili will find them," said Meg, slowly rising to her feet. "And she will bring them home. I have faith in her."

"As do I," said Jack, rising to his feet as well. "Holly, I am sorry for your loss as well as ours, and I hope you will accept our hospitality in staying with us until you feel yourself fit to travel again."

"I thank you," said Holly, accepting a hug from the old blacksmith before drying her tears on her sleeve. "But I must return tomorrow, there might be news that came in since I left, for it has been a week since…"

"I'm coming with you," said Jack, soundly clapping her on the back. "I may be just an old grizzled bear of a fellow, but my son's out there and I mean to help him in any way I can."

"You'd better keep up, old man," said Holly teasingly, giving Jack's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Never know, might end up being the other way around," said Jack with a wink. "But since we're not leaving until tomorrow, and my lovely wife Rene has done some wonderful work on the garden, what say we go on a walk young one?"

Rene shook her head in amazement as she listened to Jack rattle on and on about the doings of the family and his young grandchildren, making Holly laugh and forget about her troubles and worries for at least a little while. He had an amazing knack with that, his spirit a bit rough around the edges yet still extremely sweet and gentle for one so large. She sighed as she leaned her head on her hand, watching them through the window before turning back to the task of cleaning the kitchen up once more. He would leave tomorrow, once more going to save a child of theirs who'd gotten himself into trouble. Everything would be all right, they would both return to her safe and sound and life would return to the way it had been before. Everything would be fine.

It had to be.

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Holly rolled out of bed before dawn, a wave of nausea washing through her as she barely made it in time to the outhouse in the back to empty her stomach of the food she'd consumed the night before. Someone with cool hands came and held her hair out of her face, rubbing her back until she'd exhausted herself of the ability to up chuck any longer.

"Are you alright?" asked Meg, handing her a glass of water to drink as Holly wiped her face on towel she'd somehow brought with her. "Something you ate last night? Or are you feeling ill?"

"It's just a child's way of letting you know they're coming," said Holly, leaning her head on her knee. "Ugh…this should've already passed…"

"Then you are with child? Again?" asked Meg, helping her to her feet in surprise.

"Yes, again," said Holly, absently rubbing her stomach as she smoothed her hair from her face. "You would think five would be enough, right?"

"Holly, I'm so happy for you!!" Meg gave her a warm, but gentle hug as she didn't want to send her off on another round of losing her stomach's contents. "Does Genki know yet? Does anyone else know at all, for that matter?"

"I suspected before we left home," said Holly. "But I wasn't for sure until I was on my way here…I think Annie suspected, she's the one who helps around the house in the morning but she didn't question my absence from doing my chores, thankfully, and just did them herself."

"Come," said Meg leading the way back to the house, you have to let Rene know before you leave or she'll never forgive you and then we have to get packed up so we can leave."

"'We'?" asked Holly, looking rather confused. "I thought it was just me and Jack…"

"If you think we're letting you go without more help than that, you're insane," said Meg, patting her on the back. "I'm coming too, and so are some of the others."

"But what about your baby??"

"She needs to spend some time with her grandmother," said Meg, her eyes sparkling in the morning light. "Besides, having goats milk for awhile won't hurt her in the least, she could stand to gain a few pounds after all."

"I suppose so…"

"There you are!!" said Rene as they entered the kitchen, Meg immediately escaping to the side so she could finish getting ready. Jackie stood by the table, dressed in her usual sturdy brown pants and boots with a short-sleeved blue tunic that matched her silver blue eyes exactly. Silver and blue hair and eyes seemed to run in that part of the country, though why no one was really sure. Jon was there as well, decked out in all black. Three broad swords leaned against the wall near the door, two swords beside it but before Holly could question who they might belong to her attention was diverted elsewhere.

"Are you alright?" asked Jack. "The monthlies or the baby giving you its wakeup call?"

Holly froze, looking at Jack with eyes wide with surprise. "How in the world did you-"

"You've got that glow all mothers get when they're expecting. Rene pointed it out to me last night, though I wonder when it was you were planning to tell us…"

"This morning, of course," said Holly, rubbing the back of her head nervously as she started to edge off towards her room. "Last night wasn't the time with al the awful things happening…I have to go get dressed though, so…bye!"

"Of course, of course," said Jack, watching with amusement as Holly darted out of sight. "That young woman's nearly forty and she still acts like she's 18 sometimes…how much I wish I were still that young…"

"You're not even sixty yet yourself," said Rene, whapping him on the shoulder with her oven mitt. "Be nice to her while you're out there, she's had a rough time of it, you know!"

"I know…"

Two hours later Holly stood in front of the house, Jackie and Jon beside her as Jack shouldered his pack and settled his broadsword beside it. 

"Ok," said Holly, seeing all three of them were ready, "Let's go!"

"Wait just a moment," said Meg, coming out the door with a reproachful look on her face. "What's this about leaving me behind?" She had on traveling clothes and a samurai sword hung on her back, identical to the one Allen carried. 

"And us too!!" said Tilly and a young monster Holly had never seen before. The 20 yr old girl carried a tai chi sword on her back, her short blue hair hanging in her silver eyes that were so much like her brothers that it was scary sometimes. The monster was a jell breed, a Clay to be exact with a pack on its back big enough for her and Tilly so she didn't have to carry one.

"Have we met before?" asked Holly, kneeling before the Clay. 

"Nope!" she said, pumping Holly's hand up and down. "Nice to meet'cha! That name's Silvia, Silvia Clay to be exact but you don't need to know that do you? Fighting's my middle name and rescuing others is my game! So, where are the buggers, huh? Right here? Or right there? Or are you one of them and we just don't know it yet?? Hm…"

"Enough, Silvia," said Tilly, quickly putting her hand over her Clay's mouth in embarrassment. "Uh…sorry about that Holly. She refused to stay behind…and she is my monster, I raised her from a disk!"

"We're happy to have her along," said Holly, patting the monster on the head before heading back towards the front of the group. "Now, if that's everyone…" No one else came popping out of the shadows as the rest looked at her expectantly. "Then let's go."

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Genki sat silently under a pine tree, his back resting on the trunk so he had a constant view of the portal in case the kids and Allen did return sooner than hoped. A crust of dry bread in one hand and a pencil in the other, he slowly fed himself as a shape took form on the paper before him. It was a picture embedded into his mind forever, one that had changed his life ever since.

Holly lay with her hair damp with sweat, propped up by pillows with an exhausted but radiant look on her face. A child lay in either arm, a little boy and girl. It was Annie and Z, just moments after they'd been born and he'd finally been allowed in to see her. He'd been so proud…they'd agreed on the name of a boy or girl ahead of time, but hadn't realized they'd need to use them both.

"Theses are fine, health babes!" Henna had said, the local healer who'd come to help with the birthing. "A bit on the small side, but twins tend to be that way and it won't last long."

She'd been right, too. They'd shot up seemingly overnight; turning into the wonderful pair they were today. Was it really over 17 years ago? It didn't seem like it at times.

Genki thought about it for a moment, then put himself in the picture beside her; leaning in to kiss her on the cheek with one hand on the head of each of his children. His children. No one else's but his. He could still remember that day as clearly as yesterday, the day he became a father.

A shift in the breezes brought his attention back to the present, looking around expectantly for their messenger from the Spirit Realms. "Hey Zephyr," he said quietly, the strain of the constant fear of his children and no longer having his life mate to help support him having taken it's toll on the man. 

"Hello, Genki," said Zephyr with a half-grin, nudging him in the shoulder with his nose. "You ok? You don't look so good…"

"My children are in another realm, and my wife gone telling their partners' family where they've gone as well. Would you be ok, Zephyr, if you were me?"

"No," agreed Zephyr with a sigh. "I would not. I'm sorry, Genki."

"It's not your fault, Zeph," said Genki, bringing the familiar green pendant out of his shirt and staring at it longingly. "I just feel…helpless. Look at me, I'm the Off-worlder, the Phoenix Boy. Yet, with all the power that I have, I can't even go save my children when it means the most."

"You have done what you could when you could," said Zephyr softly, putting a paw on Genki's leg. "No one can ever say that you did not give your all."

Genki laughed shortly. "What does that matter when my all is not enough?"

"Do you want my news or not?" asked Zephyr. "I came to help you save your children and friends, not help you pity yourself all day." He used the same paw that had been on Genki's leg to effectively knock him completely on his back. Leaning over him while Genki stared at the sky, he added, "Knock it off, Phoenix Boy. Friends have been in danger before, and you've been helpless just like now. I know it's a little different, but give me a moment here, ok? I come bringing news of a way you can help. Something you can do that might make a difference later on. Results won't be immediate: so what? You've learned to have a little patience, so use it. Help me with my task as Lili has asked you to, because it's that or going back to sulking around like a child and the Genki I knew all those years ago would've knocked me flat for even suggesting such a thing."

Genki considered it for a moment, his old light coming back to his eyes. "Thanks, Zephyr. I needed that." He paused for a moment, the lashed out lightly sending Zephyr sprawling on his back. "And you did get knocked on your back for suggesting it. So there!" Genki stuck his tongue out at him, like he was still 13 instead of closer to 31. 

Zephyr just laughed and righted himself once more. "Glad to have you back, Genki."

"My pleasure, old friend. So, what news have you from my cousin-gone-spirit-thingy?"

"Well, it's kinda like this…" Zephyr went on how they'd found the four in the forest, their rescue and being brought to the abbey where they Guardians dwelled most of the time. That's where he hesitated ever so slightly, Genki getting an uneasy feeling in his gut as he did. 

"What's wrong, Zeph?" asked Genki, looking at him suspiciously. "No one got hurt, did they? No ambushes or anything??"

"Nothing like that," said Zephyr quickly. "They're all fine, but Allen…he's the Chosen, Genki."

"The Chosen…??"

"He's been Chosen," said Zephyr quite simply. "And he's accepted the challenge of going through the trials and completing them to become the next Guardian of All."

That's when it hit Genki. "That means he's not coming back!"

"I know," replied Zephyr. "Anyways, Lili is taking the twins and Kenjou onto the portal, and they'll reach it in a few days at the most. Until then, I've been told to stay here and guard the portal with any who might be here."

"Guard it from what?" asked Genki, feeling all to confused with everything Zephyr had told him.

"I don't know," admitted Zephyr. "But Lili told me to guard it until she comes, therefore I will."

"Very well," said Genki. "I've avoided setting up any thing permanent, figuring that it would be only a matter of days before they returned…I see now I was wrong."

"You were optimistic," said Zephyr with a grin. "Come, let's get something in the way of a shelter before Holly gets back."

"Sounds good to me," said Genki, rising to his feet and looking about himself slowly. "Thanks again, Z, you…you're a true friend."

"I try," said the giant tiger, flicking his golden brown ears good-naturedly. "I know I fail at times, Lili reminds me of that often enough, but I do get done what I can…"

"And we're grateful for that."

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End of Chapter 4. They're not very long chapters, are they? Oh well, it is the quality, not the quantity, that counts. ^_^

Let me know if the quality is up to par! All it takes is a click on that little button at the bottom; you know the one I'm talking about. Please push it? Please? And then write something in it to make me feel good? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?? (Since I can't have much of it right now, I figure I'll give it to you in the form of chocolate bunnies I'm getting for Easter ^_~)

Much thanks, and much love to you all!

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	5. 

AP exams…no… *falls over and acts like is dead, but can't fool the teachers and is dragged there anyways* Crap…oh well. Here's your chapter! Enjoy.

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Everyone stood packed and ready to go before the temple; Firesprite, the twins, and Kenjou on one side and Allen on the other. "Later, Uncle Allen," said Annie, flashing him a smile as she started down the path with a salute. "Try to come back in one piece, k?"

"I'll try," said Allen, saluting back.

"Yeah, take care," said Z, ducking his head in respect before following his sister down the trail. 

"I'll see you soon," said Kenjou, firmly shaking hands with him before handing him a small disk. "This was yours, mom said, when you were little, and she gave it to me for luck. But I think you need it more than I do now."

Allen smiled to himself, remembering when he'd found it on the side of a road as a youngster. "Thanks, Kenjou. Tell you mother not to worry the rest of the family, I will be home soon."

"Hai, sir." He ran after the other two down the path, leaving Firesprite and Allen alone at the top of the stairs. Allen glanced at the Guardian and was surprised when she gave him a quick hug and kiss, backing off again until she was halfway down the path.

"Bye, Lili!!" he yelled, raising a hand to her slightly and using her earth name for once.

"Bye," she replied with a soft smile, turning around a facing him from the air. "By the Phoenix, Allen…be careful!"

"I will, I promise…" He watched as she disappeared from sight after the three youngsters, starting down his path in the opposite direction of the quartet. The map he'd been drawn led into the woods, and he followed it diligently as the morning sun rose slowly overhead. The path itself slowly began to climb after awhile, zigzagging its way back and forth across the rugged mountainside. It was hard work, sweat dripping down his face and his clothes soaked anywhere where it came into contact with is body. With a pack and his weapons, he had reason to be. It was a far heavier load than he was used to carrying, but he did so without complaint. Depending on how accurate the map was with distances, he would reach the first of his destinations sometime soon. 

His thoughts lingered on the four who he knew were walking away from him, unable to forget the look in Lili's eyes when she'd bid him farewell and figuring it would be easier to dwell on that rather than what lay before him somewhere. She was leading them to the portal, as promised, back to the Mortal Realms where they'd be safe again. Or at least, he hoped so anyways. His nephew and the twins of some of his closest friends were now entirely in her protection, and it wasn't that he didn't trust her as much as he didn't trust this realm in itself. There was so much he didn't understand…so much that seemed to go against the very laws of nature itself without looking the least bit odd.

The sun reached its zenith and passed completely overhead, falling straight in front of him so Allen had to squint in order to see. His shadow stretched behind him down the slope, he came to a slight niche in the rock wall he walked along and rested there, finding a tiny spring of water between the rocks from which he drank. Opting to stay there for the night rather than continuing on in the failing light, the silver-haired man, wrapped his cloak about him and huddled against the sun-warmed cliff, willing himself to rest for the trials ahead…

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Firesprite paused as the sun began to set, motioning for the other three to follow her off the path a ways to a pool of water nearby. She'd been silent the entire time; speaking only when spoken to and generally staying in the lead with a faraway look in her eyes when one of the others bothered to catch up with her for a moment. They set up camp and made dinner over the fire, Firesprite going a little ways off from the others to be alone for a bit.

"Is something wrong, Aunt?" asked Kenjou, sitting beside the Guardian with a bit of stew he'd cooked up as a sort of peace offered. Z sat a little ways away from them, Annie curled up beside him fast asleep and their bowls already empty from eating.

"No," she replied quietly, giving him a tired smile. "Your uncle is a…brave man. He should be alright…"

['Should be' being the operative, there] thought Kenjou, giving her a slight hug as she saw her eyes focus on something he couldn't see once more. [She is worried about him…I wonder why?] "He will be. He has to be," added the boy after a moment, getting up and leaving a blanket by her incase she decided to sleep. "He's Allen, and he's never failed before." He turned away when she didn't reply, lying quietly on the other side of the fire. "Goodnight, Firesprite."

The Guardian inclined her head at the use of her formal name, the crackling fire before her matching exactly her mixed up feelings inside. "Goodnight, young mortal…"

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Allen woke before dawn and started out once more, refilling his water skin from the spring and forcing himself to eat some bread and fruit before going. Noon brought him to the top of the ridge, the entire top covered in a thick fog through which he could see only a couple of feet at the most. The path he could see clearly under his feet, being lined with small rocks, yet he knew no more than that as to what was in the area before him. 

Deciding to go through as quickly as possible so he'd hopefully make it to the other side before it got too dark, Allen slowly made his way into the fog and was soon surrounded entirely by the mist that screened everything but himself from view. Something seemed to be watching him, though he ignored whatever it was to the best of his abilities and kept moving forward. A small cry came from his right just as he was about to pause for a break, making his head snap up in alarm and almost leaving the path entirely to plunge head first into the fog.

[DO NOT LEAVE THE PATH AT ALL COSTS!!] A voice echoed in his head, stopping him in his tracks just at the edge of the line of stones. "What the…" Allen racked his memory, a picture of Tintaro towering over him with a serious expression on his face. Not that the old fossil wasn't always serious, it was just especially serious for him. Still, he was a Guardian after all, and whatever it was that he said had to have some sort of value…[Wonder what's out there…] thought Allen to himself, putting his pack down and setting a hand on his sword. [Whatever it is…it sounds like it's in trouble…] He heard another cry, off to the same side as he carefully ventured from the pack, using a line connected to it as to not lose the pack, which marked where the path was.

"Hello?" he called hesitantly into the fog. "Is anyone out there…?"

"…help!!" came the soft cry. "…please…" The cries seem to come from around him each, herding him in a different direction as his line stretched more and more, a figure, in the mist…beckoning him to come closer still …

"Huh?!" Allen jumped back as the ground under his foot crumbled, leaving behind one very large, steep cliff… "Oh my…" he scrambled back, following the line and finding his pack in a few minutes. Shapes and sounds began to come from the path around him, though never actually getting in his way. He remembered the words Tintaro had said late that night, his warning about ghosts such as these, and wished he'd paid more attention to it in the first place. 

Some were helpless children and monsters much like those he'd helped in the past. Orphans…those who were abused…the lost and lonely…they called to him and pleaded for help, but he knew he could no more help these phantoms than he could help the wind. Though it broke his heart, he brushed by them at a swift walk and wished them to disappear into the mists from which they had been born.

The scenes around him changed, a fire raging on a building up ahead that looked more than vaguely familiar…his home!! "Mom! Dad!!" He almost left the path again, this time stopped only by the remembrance of the ledge from moments before. Tears running from his eyes, he pushed past it and forced himself not to look, trying to ignore the tortured cries from inside. "Please, no…not them…"

A wicked laugh seemed to come from nowhere; enveloping him for a moment before the house vanished and another sound took its place. He strained his ears for a moment, catching only bits and parts of it before it finally began to make some sense to him. 

A soft sob from ahead, he went on warily as he tried to imagine that which they might use against him. The mists parted slowly, another form appearing within him, and one that nearly broke his heart as well. "No!!" cried Allen, frozen in tracks as he reached out helplessly to her. Lili laid a ways from the path, bleeding from numerous wounds and staring at the sky from sightless eyes. Her blood pooled at his feet, her lips forming his name over and over again in a silent cry for help. "No…!! It can't-NO!!" Allen ran by as fast as he could, choking back sobs of his own as he willed the horrible image to go away. He didn't watch where he was going and he strayed from the path, going straight into the fog itself without a clue as to which was he might go next. Not even bothering to pause, he kept going as he hoped to find the path again; though in his grief he mainly wished to avoid the scenes that had disturbed him so.

The ground beneath his feet crumbled suddenly, making him fall down, down, down, into the depths of a cavern below. Twisting, turning, falling…it seemed it would never end. Something snatched him out of the air and he hung there like a rag doll as he attempted to gain his bearings but found it rather difficult as he was hanging upside down. 

Allen found himself staring into a giant black eye half the size of him, two lids on either side blinking over it now and then as it studied him for a moment. Whatever it was shifted suddenly and Allen found himself staring down a long dark cavern of sorts…one lined with row upon row of shiny teeth. "Ai!!" He whipped out his sword and sliced off whatever it was that was holding him, abandoning his pack upon hitting the ground and scrambling to the side. Whatever it was that he shared the cavern with, it was huge…

Feeling his way along the wall, he came to a set of stairs and slowly wound his way up it. It was secluded from the rest of the cavern, though Allen kept his sword out just in case, and opened up to a large ledge a good bit up on the wall of the cave. A light suddenly flared over head and he found himself facing what looked like a humongous worm complete with long, sticky tentacles and some green and orange liquid oozing from its mouth that was probably acid or poison of some sort.

"Well…crap." That was all he had time for at the head of the thing dove for him, leaving him to jump out of the way as it pulverized the rock wall he'd been standing next to enough to leave a very large worm-head indent in its place. Loping along the edge of the ledge, Allen darted out just enough to bring his sword up and slash his sword along the skin of the worm. It cut cleanly and with ease, bursts of orange blood running out along the rock. He grinned slightly, preparing to dart out again when he noticed something odd…the wound was no longer bleeding…and had left a scar no bigger than his head though it had spanned as long as he was tall to begin with. "You're kidding me- AHHH!!" Allen was shoved back against the rock as a one of the tentacles with a sharp point came and pierced his chest, leaving him with what would've been a fatal would if there hadn't been something hard and round there to begin with. Allen stayed against the rock for a moment, wheezing slightly as he fingered the now-dented disk Kenjou had given him

"Guess it is…really lucky…" He recovered his breath and was about to dart back into cover when he found himself hanging upside down again by a tentacle that had gotten him by his clothes. Instinctively slashing off any tentacles that got too close for comfort, he freed himself by wriggling himself out of his over tunic in a flash and dropping to his feet as neatly as a cat.

He landed on the back of the beast, sliding around on its slimly hide as it moved and shifted around, writhing like a snake until he suddenly ended up on the head of the thing. Finding himself on fairly flat and less slimly skin, he formed a plan and got right to work. "I officially hate worms…ech…"

Taking out a dagger, he waited until the monstrous thing opened its left eye again and threw it in as hard as he could. It landed up past the hilt, the ugly thing rearing its head as the dagger became permanently imbedded into its eye. Letting it stay there, he took his whip and lashed it to a horn on top of the things head, using it to lower himself slightly so he was right above the beast's right eye. Seeing it flick open and begin its search for him, he plunged his sword in it to the hilt, jumping from his perch from there and leaving the sword behind. Avoiding the giant, gooey coils; he sprinted out of there as fast as his legs would let him for the only exit he saw in the whole place. As for what happened to his pack, sword, and map…he didn't care. What he wanted was out, and there wasn't anything in the world that would make him go back in there now.

Slowing as he reached what appeared to be the exit of the cave, Allen saw a small bundle lying off to the side of the path. There was his pack and sword, a little beat up and slimy, but none worse for the wear. "Wait a sec, I KNOW I left those things in there…"

A slight breeze whiffed through his hair, and with it a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment as it played about him for a moment before soaring off into the heavens. 

"Strange…" Deciding it wasn't worth debating right now, seeing as he'd just killed a huge worm and nearly died, Allen picked his things up after making sure that they were intact and headed back down the path. Somehow, his map had been altered to add his little 'detour' to the path and according to what was written there now he'd been back to the main one with in a day or two's worth of travel. 

After what he'd just been through, and considering that every Trial was to be worse than the last to come…he wasn't so sure about making it through the whole thing anymore. Having enough luck to barely survive was one thing…getting through it safe and sound was entirely another.

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Firesprite picked her way through the thickening jungle, swatting flies away with her hand while holding a branch back with the other. It was like they'd changed temperate zones entirely, the weather changing constantly and dumping at least a couple of inches on them a day and being hot a humid the rest of the time.

"Firesprite…" panted Annie, catching up with her at a slow jog. "I know…time is short…but we can't…keep pushing…like this…"

The Guardian looked up, surprised by the young human's exhausted look. "Good grief, Annie, it's not that hot, and I haven't been pushing you that hard…"

*RUMBLE*

Both human and Guardian looked at Z in surprise, the young man having come up behind them. "Um…I guess I'm hungry…?"

"We haven't eaten since dawn, Firesprite," said Kenjou, leaning over tiredly. "Please, just a short break…"

"I suppose I forget sometimes what limits you have as a mortal," mused the immortal, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Come, we will find a good place to stop and let you regain your strength there."

"And eat?" asked Z, a hopeful look in his eyes as he ran a hand through his damp hair. All of them were drenched with sweat.

"Yes," replied Firesprite with a warm smile. "And eat." It began to shower again as they found a spot under a slight overhang, crowding there together to keep out of the rain. They passed around the water skin, a loaf of bread, and some cheese and meat; taking their time with it so they'd preferably finish just as the rain passed away.

"I'm really starting to miss mom's stews right about now," murmured Z, using his twin as a pillow for a moment, resting his head on her back.

"I know what you mean," replied Annie with a slight grin. "Hm…I can almost smell it I want it so bad…"

"Your mom was the camp cook when we traveled together," said Firesprite lightly, another far away look in her eyes. Though this was far lighter and happier than the ones she'd been having as of late. "Mmm…she could make a meal out of nothing, sometimes. One always had to wonder…it was like she worked magic with the little we'd manage to scrounge together."

"Mum does have magic," Z quietly reminded her with a pert grin.

"That was before she got that pendant, wise guy," retorted Firesprite, swatting him on the head. 

"Just kidding, just kidding!!"

"Sure ya are…"

"Rain's let up," observed Kenjou, rising to his feet slowly as he worked the kinks out of his back. "Come on, we do need to get going…"

"Says he who was about to die not thirty minutes ago," observed Firesprite, giving him a teasing smile as she got up as well. "He's right, though, up at 'em, you lazy bags of bones!!"

Z sighed, stretching himself out as Annie shoved him off her stomach. "Eesh…am I the only one not in a hurry to wear myself out to the bone?"

"Nope, you're just the only one who doesn't want to eat decent cooking anytime soon," said Kenjou, shouldering his pack with a sigh."

Z muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. "My cooking is decent…" 

They followed the trail for another hour, finding a spot where it crossed something on the map but couldn't figure out just what it might be. "You're sure something's there?" asked Annie from behind, bringing up the rear of the group.

"There has to be," said Firesprite in frustration. "Tintaro would not put something on this map without a reason. But I know his symbol for rivers…ravines…hills. Even mountains…this is none of these."

"Have you considered a cliff?" called Kenjou at the head of the group.

"I suppose it could," said Firesprite, her eyes still on the map as she continued to walk forward. A pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her back just as she was about to step off into nothingness. "Oh…"

"That's a really big cliff," whispered Z, turning green at the thought of climbing down that thing.

"Just like your mom, you have no stomach for heights," said Firesprite, peering down it before backing up a few steps and setting her pack beside a tree near the edge. Bringing out a rope, she tied it to the tree and stepped back even more after making sure it was secure. Taking a few running steps, she launched herself over the cliff, Kenjou crying out in dismay as she disappeared from sight.

"Firesprite!!"

"Something wrong?" asked the Guardian appearing a few moments later, wings out and soaring on the subtle winds. 

"Uh…nothing," said Kenjou, rubbing the back of his head with his hand in embarrassment as he turned a cherry tomato red. "I just…forgot is all. You haven't had them out in so long, it seems…"

"It's only be three or four days," said Firesprite, wrinkling her nose at him teasingly. "Wait here, kids, I'll be back in a sec…" She dove down again, taking the other end of the rope with her as she secured it to the rock at certain points. The rope was a thin, light creation made of spider's silk that could hold the weight of twelve grown men without fear of breaking in the least. Stretching it to its maximum length, a couple thousand feet, it barely reached the bottom where she secured it to a growing in the wall itself. 

Flying back up as fast as she could, she found Kenjou already prepared for his decent by tying some rope together for a make-shift harness of sorts. Wrapping his hands in his cloak and looping that around his waist so it wouldn't get tangled around his legs, he attached himself to the original rope and slowly began his decent down. "Take it easy," she said, knotting two together for the twins so they could follow after him. "I won't be there to catch you for a few minutes…"

"I've climbed every cliff and peak Allen ever tried to do, and then some," he boasted with a laugh. "I think I can manage this."

Firesprite smiled to herself as she made sure the other two were set to go before diving off the cliff again to check up on Allen's nephew's progress. He indeed had done this before, already a fourth the way down by the time she'd gotten there. 

"Just keep going," she told him, going back up to the other two who'd just reached the first checkpoint. At each spike she'd put in the cliff face to secure the rope to it, they had to undo the catch that secured them to the rope and then reattach it below the knot. Annie was past it and a few feet down while Z slowly, and carefully, went through the routine himself. They'd all done it before, Genki and Holly hadn't turned into slouches after defeating Master of the hybrids, and they'd made sure their children had learned such skills as well.

Everything went well, Kenjou passed the halfway point and Annie was exactly between the two with Z passing the second checkpoint. Firesprite was about to go down and just wait for them on the ground when she heard something overhead. 

"Oh crap-!!" 

Annie looked up to see the ledge crumble under Z's feet, his clasp off the rope, as he'd been about to connect it and his handhold giving away as well. "Z!!" Everything seemed to go in slow motion, the way he fell back from the wall…his face white with terror…only to be caught safely in Firesprite's waiting arms.

"Good lord, you're heavy!!" she grunted, shifting her grip on his stomach with a sigh while he blushed in shame. "Like mother like son, I suppose…"

Z looked surprised, forgetting that he was a thousand feet up in the air as she slowly began to spiral downwards. Somehow, he knew she wouldn't drop him and he was safe for the time being. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'll tell you later…"

Kenjou and Annie scrambled as fast as they could down the stone face, the girl practically jumping the last twenty feet and sprinting to her twin's side as fast as she could.

"Baka, baka, baka!!" she cried, squeezing him to death with a bear hug that nearly broke his ribs.

"Ow!! Sis…" objected Z.

"Shut up and don't you ever dare do that to me again!!" she scolded him, resisting the urge to slap him as she pulled back slightly. "I ought to kill you for that, giving me a heart attack…!!"

"I'm sorry," he said softly, pulling her into a gentle hug as she slowly calmed down. "Really, I am, I'll be more careful next time…"

"You'd better be!" she growled, pulling back and turning away with her arms crossed.

Z held his hands up in defeat. "I will, I will…"

"Would you have been this worried if it had been me?" asked Kenjou with a wink. "Because if this is the attention that the person gets, maybe I ought to fall off next time…"

*SMACK* 

@_@ "Ow…" Kenjou rubbed his jaw, which now held a life-size, red handprint, while Z almost fell over from laughing so hard. 

-_- "Baka…" Annie stomped away down the trail, Firesprite following her with a small smile on her face. 

"Let's camp here," said the Guardian when she finally caught up with her, a ledge right beside them that would keep them out of the rain, if it stormed, for the night and a slight spring of water springing from the cracks beside it.

"Fine," agreed Annie tersely, throwing her pack in the middle and going out to collect firewood by herself.

"Shouldn't someone have gone with her?" asked Kenjou as he arrived in the clearing and placed his things beside hers.

"Nope," replied Firesprite with a half smile. "As she is right now, I wouldn't want to fight her. Anger only focuses the power even more in that family, for some reason or another. That's why Genki is such an awesome fighter when his temper's been provoked."

Kenjou gave her a skeptical look. "He's an awesome fighter, period."

"But even better when mad," she retorted. "Get a fire started and help Z get some dinner scrounged up. Might want to find some sort of a peace offering as well, having her mad at you for the next week won't exactly be pleasant…"

The boy perked up immediately. "I could give her a flower!!"

Firesprite sighed, thwaping him upside the back of his head. "She was right, you are a baka…"

Kenjou rubbed back of his head and stuck his tongue out at her, dodging around her next blow to go help Z with his work. Annie arrived a few moments later, a good-sized pile of wood in her hands to add to the glowing flames. "Eh, sorry about earlier," said Kenjou quietly, offering her a ripe bit of fruit he'd managed to pick up somewhere along the way. 

"Hm," she replied, taking it light and inspecting it carefully before nodding to him cordially and taking a seat next to Z who was sitting beside the fire. Cutting up the fruit with her dagger, she slowly ate it with a distant look in her eyes, oblivious to all but her own thoughts before a bowl of strong broth and some bread were set before her.

"Now," said Z, dipping the bread in the broth and eating it carefully so as to not spill a single drop. "Why did you say 'Like mother like son' earlier, Firesprite? You said you'd explain…"

"Maybe I'll tell you some other time," said the Guardian, laying back and staring at the stars with a wicked smile on her face. 

"Or you could tell us now," said Kenjou, nudging her foot with his toe. "Come on, Auntie, I bet is has to do with the Halfsie Wars, don't it?"

"Perhaps…"

"Tell us, please?" begged Z, giving her his best puppy eyes. She glanced at him before looking away, rolling her eyes as she did.

"For the love of Phoenix, Z…aren't you getting a bit old for that?" she asked him, continuing to avert her eyes slightly.

"Not if it works," he said, breaking out in a giant grin.

"It hasn't yet…"

"Yet being the operative, meaning there's no reason to stop now," he said, switching right back to it in a heartbeat. "Please, Aunite?? Please, please, please…???"

"Z…"

"I'll add in the sniffles if you don't…"

"Alright, alright!!" cried Firesprite, sitting at them and throwing the guys a glare apiece. "There's really not that much to it…"

"Then start talking already!!" cut in Kenjou, shrinking back instantly and wilting like a dead plant as he got another 'look'. "Ok, I'll be good…"

"Anyways," said Firesprite, brushing her hair out her face. "We were at the old ranching, fighting…what was his name again…something Magic. You know which one I'm talking about, right?"

"The one where you and some others were separated from the rest of the group for awhile," said Annie, giving her a slight smile. 

"That's the one," she acknowledged in return. "Did your parents ever tell you why we were separated? Or how?"

"No," replied the twins at the same time, exchanging the same look. That little admission to the story had been a sore point between the four for quite some time.

"Well, it happened like this," started Firesprite, leaning back on her elbows and staring at the sky. "We were fighting the hybrids, and losing I hate to say. Most of us trapped or unable to reach the others, it was just Holly, Zephyr, and I on the ledge. The head guy, something Magic or whatever, blasted us over a cliff at least twice the size of the one we went down today. Now, at the time the others didn't know I was a hybrid as well, so it was assumed that even with Zeph and his wings, we wouldn't live. They were captured and taken away, all but Allen assuming we were lost for good."

"How did you survive, then?" asked Z, looking rather confused. 

"That's where the 'Like mother, like son' thing comes into play," said Firesprite with a crooked smile. "Zeph couldn't hold us both and make it, so I ordered him out of the way. As long as he was safe, someone would be able to get back to the others and help them out if we didn't make it through. Your mother, Holly, had passed out cold as since absolutely hates heights; and I managed to get my wings out in time to save us both…" She paused there, frowning slightly as she rehashed the events in her minds eye.

"What's wrong?" asked Kenjou when she didn't continue after awhile. "That memory of yours is getting a little rusty?"

"No," she replied, too deeply involved with her thoughts to retort back at the moment. "I just remembered…we never did figure out how we survived that day."

"What do you mean?" asked Annie, looking rather confused. "You're alive, right? You just managed to get your wings out in time…"

"By all the laws of physics, which I now hold in my head, and everything else I have learned, it is not physically possible for what happened to have taken place. Yet, we're both still alive as proof that it did," reflected Firesprite quietly. "I always thought it was odd how it had all happened, but I hadn't thought about it much since everything ended…"

"Tell us another story," said Z, grinning like a little kid who'd been offered a piece of candy. "Please? Or fill in some more we didn't know. Like how you got back together again."

Firesprite winced, remembering the consequences of that battle all to well. "Eh, well, if you really want to know…"

"We do," said Annie shortly.

"Ok, then…"

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Ack…SAT in the morning…*sniff* Why me…?! What did I do to deserve such torture?! *gets complaints about random ramblings of author*

"Alright, alright. Anyways, hope you liked it as always. Next one won't be for a while, seeing as I have AP tests for the next few weeks. Please review; it would give me a reason to smile other than the chocolate Jon gave me last week. ^_~

'Kangaroos are mammals because they are warm blooded, have fur/hair on their bodies, give live birth, and suckle their young. Insects aren't because they're just squishy.'

-Marine Biology Teacher-

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	6. 

*Poke* I swear this jello isn't edible…oh! ^_^ Hey, here's your chapter while I try and figure out what exactly this is… *Tosses a bit to the dog and watches as she turns blue with another set of arms, and antennas pop out of her head* Oi…0.o;;

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Allen tiredly plodded along the path, occasionally checking the map for directions, but other than that half-jogging with his chin resting on his chest. He didn't take particular notice of his surroundings, his instincts would have warned him had he been in danger so he was slightly startled when the sun was suddenly blocked from view and he could look around without squinting from the light. 

"Hm?" Ahead of him was a huge tower of rock, it's sides falling away to a deep gorge on either side that would be impossible to climb down and it's top too high and sides to steep to scale so he could go over. He glanced at the map, seeing such a landmark on the map with a small marking showing where he should go through instead of around the obstacle. 

He found such an opening, as he got closer to the base, making out a deep cavern of sorts behind it with no light at all. Taking a torch from his pack, Allen carefully lit it and made sure his sword was loose in its sheath before carefully heading into the passageway at a slow pace to ensure he would not fall or run into anything unfriendly with no way out. The tunnel itself never split from the original tunnel, twisting and turning numerous times but never branching off in the least. Sometimes it was so big he couldn't see the ceiling, and other times so small he strained to make it past the squished in walls. Still, he crept on, making not a sound as hours seemed to pass in the endless twirls and bends of the burrow.

He entered a wider part of the cave, holding his torch high only to have it blown out by a stray gust of wind. "What the…"

*KABOOM*

"AHH!!" Allen shielded his eyes as the room exploded into light, dazzled by the colors and patterns that ran the length of the room. The floor itself was a plain, white and black squares pattern that seemed to shift back and forth at random intervals of time. 

Studying the patterns for a moment, he decided it must not be that important and began to make his way across. Somehow managing to stick to the black squares, the pattern shifted on him suddenly and he felt himself shocked through the foot before being automatically transporting to the beginning of the patterned area once more.

"YEEOUCH!!!"

"Sssso, he who was Chossssen has finally made hissss way here," said a silky voice, Allen completely bewildered as he tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Welcome, young mortal, welcome to the Hall of Patternsssss."

"Who's there?" he called, carefully setting down his pack and drawing his sword. "Who are you??"

"The firssssssst of your tessssssstorssssssss," came the voice again, Allen blinking his eyes as a giant Snake rose up from the center of the pattern. His skin danced with the same pattern that lay across the floor, blending in it so well that Allen wasn't entirely sure where the Snake ended and the floor began.

"Testors?" he replied uncertainly. "It this one of the Trials, sir?"

"It isssss, mortal, it issssss."

"How am I to get across then?" asked Allen fervently. "The tiles randomly change, there is not apparent pattern to it in the least and I don't have the power to jump or fly across. If the shocks get worse each time, only a fool would attempt such a thing…"

"Enough mortal!" thundered the Snake. "Lissssten to me, and heed my wordssss well. Everything with in thesssssse Realmsssss, both Mortal and Ssssssspirit, rely on a ssssssssset of patternssssss to rule them ssssssso they'd don't sssssssssimply sssssssspiral out of control. Thissss floor emulatessss that pattern. Until you can realize it, and find a way acrossssss where you sssstay only on the black ssssquaressss, you will fail. To passsss, you must let the Pattern of Life become a part of you, until you can ssssee it without looking fore it, recognize it without sssssearching for it."

"That is my task?" asked Allen, his face tight with resignation.

The Snake barely bobbed his head, his tongue flickering in and out in rhythm with his breath. "That isss your tassssk."

"And if I cannot complete it?" asked Allen, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Then, let usss sssay that you will not be going any further." The Snake bared his fangs, which gleamed in the light. "Ever." He hid his fangs once more, taking on a more pleasant look. "Take your firssst attempt, Mortal."

Allen just nodded and studied the patterns gliding before his feet for a few moments, figuring he'd found a fairly safe way across. Starting out, he made it a fourth of the way across before he misstepped and found himself writhing of pain right back at the beginning again. "ARRGHHH!!!"

"You mortalsss do amusssse me at timessss," said the Snake, laughing to himself quietly as Allen stumbled to his feet, trying to shake off the feeling of being struck by lightening.

"Shaddup and tell me what the Pattern is already!!" he growled, stretching the new bruises out so they wouldn't stiffen up suddenly. 

"That you have to realize for yourssself," said the Snake. "Try again!"

"Hmm…" Allen studied it for a few short moments, and then came up with an idea. Dropping his pack, he sprinted out onto the middle in the blink of an eye and had just made it halfway across….when he hit a patch of white he couldn't jump over and ended up right where he started in even more pain than before. The sound of the huge reptile chuckling to himself reached his ears as his muscles twitched from the shock. All his joints stiff and sore, his muscles completely turned to mush…it wasn't a pleasant experience to say the least. "Ahh….nmgg….aah…."

"Foolisssssssh, foolissssssssssh mortal," sighed Snake. "You cannot hope to defeat or trick the Pattern for if it isssss not one with you it isssssss againssssst you and will make ssssssure you don't crossssssssss at all cosssstssssss."

"Shaddup and go to hell," he murmured angrily, the swordsman wishing he'd never accepted the challenge in the first place. "Ugh…I'd forgotten…one could hurt this much…and not die…"

"And it's not over yet, Mortal," said the Snake, flicking him with his tail so he could stand on his feet once more. "Again."

"And if I refuse?" growled Allen, still struggling through his extreme pain. Lights danced before his eyes, making them water.

The snake bared his fangs with glee. "Then I eat you. And I have not had mortal flesh for many a year…"

"Alright!! Alright…" Breathing slowly, he managed to get his body under control as he slid to the edge of the barrier and stared at its ever-changing squares. Leaning forward right at the edge of it, he thought it had it for a moment…

*WHOOSH*

"AHHHHAARRRGGG!!!!" Allen fell headfirst into a patch of white from an unexpected gale from behind. Writhing in agony, he stared sightlessly at the floor as he ended up exactly where he'd started. Twitching with involuntary spasms and convulsions, he slowly regained his eyesight facing the one thing he hated the most, the one thing that had caused him so much pain. He didn't even realize what he was looking at when it hit him, for it was so incredibly complex and yet at the same time so simple and child-like it astounded him that he hadn't seen it at first.

"I…but it…wow." He slowly rose to his feet, his pain vanishing as his mind was consumed with the task of unraveling the patterned floor before him. "That's incredible…"

"You see it now?" asked the Snake, somewhat mockingly. "I am afraid, though, your tries are up. Each mortal is only granted three…"

"I understand now," murmured Allen to himself as he paced the length of the barrier, only pausing long enough to scoop up his pack and sword. "It is not just one Pattern, it is many patterns combined. Each on it own is so simple; yet it cannot stand without the others, can it? For each pattern represent an aspect of the Mortal and Spirit Realms. The Guardians themselves, humans and monsters, the animals that roam the planet and the fish that swim in the sea; each a Pattern unto itself that cannot stand alone. They are distinct, yes, you can tell one from the other easily. So complete and yet so incomplete unless given unto the whole…I get it now…it represents Life and Death as a whole. The Pattern that rules Everything."

The Snake sighed in defeat. "Son of-…crap. Well, now I have to wait another hundred years for another Mortal to come along. Get along, now, you've discovered the truth for yourself, after all."

Allen nodded, giving him a jaunty salute before strolling along the shifting floor at a leisure pace, reaching the side without touching a white square at all. The other side of the cavern was illuminated as the front portion faded into darkness, leaving three doors for Allen to choose from.

"Which do I go through?" he asked, finding the map did not say and they weren't marked as far as which one to take in the least. 

"These are your three choices," said the Snake, taking on a solemn tone as he rose to his full height. "All of which you have earned, and you will not be looked down upon if you choose one which some might consider the cowards way out." The door on the far left began to glow. "The first door in a gateway back to your realm, right back to the same point where you were so rudely pulled in. There, friends and family await you and there you would be safe. For the time, anyways."

The middle door began to glow, leaving Allen only a moment to think before the Snake plunged on. "The second door is a gateway to the ones you care about the most, your nephew Kenjou and the Guardian Firesprite. With them, you will be as safe as any can be in the Spirit Realms."

The far right door began to glow, leaving Allen no time to think at all this time as the Snake went on a head. "And the third door is a gateway back to your path and your quest, leading you on to the Second Trial which you may or may not succeed in passing as you have this one. Choose carefully, mortal," cautioned the Snake. "For once you have chosen, you can never return again…"

Allen gulped, knowing the door he'd rather go through, and the one he must go through instead. "I choose…the third door."

"Are you sure?" asked the Snake, sensing the hesitation in his voice. 

"I am sure," said Allen, straightening his back and adjusting the pack on his back. "I will finish my quest and go on to the Second Trial."

The Snake flicked his tongue out lazily. "Very well, Mortal. You have been very amusing for an ancient being such as I. I wish you well…" He faded away into the dark as the door creaked open, leaving Allen to walk through it…

*ZIP*

"Eh?!" Allen looked around in confused as he found himself in the middle of a field, his path stretching out before him. Adjusting his packs again and checking the map and began his trek forward once again. "Ai…they really need to stop it with those portal thingies…"

He checked his bags and his sword, finding them both intact before grabbing a bite of journey bread as he jogged along once again. His long legs, distances beyond comparison gone as he easily loped along, devoured the ground. Night fell, but he didn't stop. He wasn't tired and there was a Realm to save, so why bother? Days, weeks, he didn't know how much time had passed before he came to a small vale. Slowly his pace and taking a sip from his bottle, he realized it was nearly empty and began to look for a place to refill it.

The vale widened, opening into a broad valley that was filled with a gigantic lake that stretched for miles in either direction. He could see the side facing him, it wasn't that far off and he could swim it if he weren't carrying his pack and sword, but going around it was out of the question since it would take days in either direction to make it to the path again.

Filling his water skin with lake water, he looked around for some sort of boat or canoe to take him across or some wood to make one from when he saw something odd stretching across the lake from his side to the other. It resembled something he was sure he'd seen before, but being unable to identify it he merely gathered his things and waded out to it, jumping on the first platform and staring to walk his way across…

*Crrrreeeaaak*

"Eh?!"

*SPLASH*

Allen found himself standing right back where he'd started, thrashing around like he'd landed in the water and soaking wet. Spluttering and gasping for air, he wiped his drenched hair from his eyes and tried to make sense of it when it hit him. It was a set of balances, so complex and intermingled he couldn't tell where one ended and another began. 

"Oh, come on…"

"Tee hee!" Allen turned to see a young Undine looking at him from a boulder beside the lake. "I see I have company once more. You got past ol'blinky scales, did you?"

Allen shook his head. "Blinky scales?? Oh, I get it! You mean that really huge Snake…"

"Yep, that ol'meany head." She pouted prettily. "He won't ever play with me or even talk to me while waiting for the next Chosen to come…" Sitting up suddenly, she added, "You are He, are you not?"

"I am," replied Allen, sitting down wearing beside the rock. "Who are you, though?"

"The second of your Testors," she replied, striking a dramatic pose. "And this is your Second Trial!!"

"Ok…" Allen wrung out his hair, tying it back out of his way when it was decently dry. "That makes sense and all. But, please, tell me how it is I am to get across this one?"

"Then you have realized that there is a lesson behind every trial that you must complete?" she asked, turning unusually somber. 

"Of course," he replied, rolling his eyes. "For the first, it was the Pattern of Life, how everything was a separate entity unto itself yet without everything else it could not exist and create the great Pattern that rules the Realm and changes as it's inhabitants change."

"Very good," said the Undine, smiling prettily. "I see that ol'pointy fanged brute is good for something, at least." She gracefully rose to her feet, shaking out her cascading blue dress that resembled the water she so loved before hopping down to stand beside him lightly. "Now, as there was a Pattern to everything, there is also a Balance. 

"Some of the balances are heavily set in, and are not easily moved. Others are so precisely hanging in the balance that the slightest touch could send one side or another into utter oblivion, thus destroying both and those around it as well who it had been in harmony with. Your task is to realize the Balance, and find your way across to the other side without falling off or touching the water in any fashion." A bridged appeared from the shore to the first of the balances. "Chosen, you may begin."

"And if I don't want to?" asked Allen, feeling very old and weary all of a sudden. 

The Undine just smiled. "See those statues over there?" She pointed behind them, to a group of twelve or so, all handsome young men with well-sculpted muscles and strong bodies. Allen just nodded. "They were once Chosen, like you. That's what happens to those who refuse to go or fail to pass the test. Although…" She considered him for a moment, touching his nose with the tip of her finger. "You're a bit older than I usually prefer to take, and old fogies are fed to my pet octopi, and they haven't been fed for quite a while…" Several large, beady eyes appeared in the water, surrounded by myriads of tentacles. 

"You know," said Allen, quickly jumping to his feet. "As much as I'd love to stick around and be a statue for you, I do have an obligation to make it back to my family alive and well, you know." 

"Awww, poo," said the Undine, pouting her lips again. "Oh well, you only have three tries, you know, and if you don't make it I still get to do with you as I like…"

Allen gulped. "Is that the same with any who is Chosen and comes through the Trials? The threats and all, I mean."

The Undine nodded happily. "Pretty much."

He just groaned. 

Gathering together his wits and strength, he studied the set of weights and balances before carefully walking along the bridge to the first of the challenges. Slowly jumping from point to point, and making sure every balance he tipped was then pushed the other way, he made it halfway across and was about to make the next jump…when the post gave out underneath him and he fell headfirst into the water.

Appearing, as always, beside the Undine entirely soaked and somewhat discouraged, he shook out his hair and sighed. "They are gonna owe me so much when I get back…"

"Enough grumbling," said the monster lighter, whapping him on the shoulder. "Up you go again!!"

"Alright." He got to his feet and walked up the gangplank, going through the same routine as the time before, landing too hard on one of the platforms…and finding himself soaked again on the original shore beside the Undine. 

"Oops, looks like you tripped it up again!!" she teased, her saucy grin making him feel all the more incompetent.

"It can't be done!" he cried, throwing up his hands in disgust as he paced along the shore, his clothes leaving a trail of drips in the sand behind him. "Every time I touch one scale, it sets off the other side, and though I try to correct it, it will never go back to the exact same spot, thus affecting the other scales and since I can't measure that change exactly and prepare for it in advance, then it's impossible for one to…" He trailed off, suddenly noticing something that he hadn't seem before. "No…"

"No what?" asked the Undine, completely absorbed in making her perfect, blue nails even more perfect. 

"I am the biggest fool alive," he mused, ignoring her entirely. "How could I have not seen it before…? It is incredibly obvious now, for each balance must have a center piece, or a middle beam, or something for it to balance _on_…"

"Exactly," said the Undine, slightly disappointed that she couldn't keep him there with her awhile longer. He had been quite amusing at times. "You, as the Guardian of All, would watch and guard these balances; but never touch them yourself unless some outside force tampers with them FIRST. These balances represent life and death, good and evil, light and dark, past and present, freedom and slavery…every single opposite you can think of is represented here. Each one you must protect. None of them are you allowed to touch."

"I see," said Allen, gathering up his things and making sure they were in order. "Now, I understand…" Super-jumping his way across, he landed precisely on each middle beam or center post as he went, never disturbing the balances themselves but finding ways around them to still accomplish his goal. 

"Remember, Chosen," said the Undine as he made it across, somehow getting to the other shore without him noticing and waiting for him patiently on a rock. "As with the patterns, each balance is connected to the rest; thus a tip in one will result in some change in the rest." She smiled saucily again. "Then again, I'm sure you already realized this, didn't you?"

"Uh, sure," replied Allen, seeing three passes through the cave all before him. "Oh no, not again…"

"Of course," she replied. "We wouldn't be true testors of your strength if we did not tempt as well as test you, Chosen. Now…" The cave to her right began to glow with an inner light. "That one will take your family, to the same point where you were brought here." The middle door began to glow. "This one, back to your lover and nephew." Allen was about to protest at those words, but was silences as the left one began to glow. "And last, but not least, this one will continue you on your quest."

This time, he did not require any time to think it through. "I will take the one to continue the quest," he replied firmly. He smiled wryly. "Besides, if I dare return without finishing it, neither my family nor Lili will ever accept me again."

"Then you are ready," she asked, giving him on last wistful look.

"Yes," Allen replied, glad to be away from her at last. "Thank you, and good bye." He walked through the cave door portal, the tingle from the energy making his arm hairs stand on end as he came out on the other side. A vast field all around him with only on thing in sight, a giant arena, came into view. His hair whipped out of it's holder with a gust of wind, the silver-blonde stands blowing about his face as he took it all in. His sword on his back and pack over his shoulder, the same dull gray he'd worn since he'd left. In a way, he did not feel worthy of the beauty around him, the peace and the calm. A hand over his chin proved that he had more than a few days stubble on his face, and he hadn't had a good bath since he'd left. Rather scruffy and rolled in dirt, he felt more like a beggar than a Chosen or whatever among all this.

Checking the map as always, he headed towards the Arena at a slow lope. The building was huge, towering for stories overhead and the gate from which he was to enter looming over him at least two man heights. Slowing to a walk as he entered, he took in the massive, life-size depictions of humans and monsters competing just to stay alive. Man slaughtering Monster, Monster slaughtering Man…he had the feeling it was more to warn what should not happen rather than what should.

His attention was captured by a stand in the middle of the Arena, three objects sitting upon it which shone brilliantly in the sunlight. A shield with a crest he'd never seen before on it, a sword similar to his own, but with a different design on the handle, and a circlet of silver with small crystals set a different intervals upon it. 

"You," came a soft voice, drifting across the Arena on the winds. 

"Who's there?" called Allen, dropping his pack and looking all around. Three beasts approached from three different directions: a Salamander, with the scales and ferocity of a dragon mixed with the IQ and speed of a zuum; a Poison, which was a Pixie breed with mottled green hair and venomous yellow eyes; and a Blue Thunder, a Centaur with unknown originals and a blue hair and tail braided with silver bolts of lightning. 

"You cannot pass until you prove yourself worthy," said the Poison, the dull look in her eyes making Allen shiver ever so slightly. Without waiting for an answer, all three charged forward, intent upon attacking the human. 

"What?!" Allen whipped out his sword and ducked under the Salamander's leap, whirling around in time to smack the creature on the back of the head and put him out cold. His eyes narrowed, the battlelust making his blood boil. "Bring it on."

The Poison came in from the side at the same time the Blue Thunder did, she slashing at him with her overgrown nails and he wielding a pike that forced Allen back against the wall of the Arena. Doing a quick spin of the pike's reach, Allen sliced off the Poison's nails and hit her over the head with the hilt of his sword, feeling sorry for the poor creature as he saw a collar around her neck similar to the one he'd noticed around the neck of the Salamander and the Blue Thunder. 

Ducking just in time as he was nearly beheaded by the pike, he brought up his sword and sliced off the end. Dancing out of range, he leapt at the monster's head…and forgot about the other end and took a nasty blow to the stomach beside of it. Rolling away from the Blue Thunder's hooves, he came back up and this time circled around, coming up behind up while the monster reached for another pike and jumping on his back. Holding on for dear life as the part Centaur bucked and leapt about, he finally managed to bring up his fist and clout it on the back of the head, his sword having fallen to the ground from trying to stay on awhile ago.

"You," said another voice, this time from a different corner of the Arena. Allen slid off the Blue Thunder's back and grabbed his sword, standing at the ready incase of another attack.

"Who goes there?" he called, casting about for who it might be.

"Just me," said the voice again, a gigantic female Tiger lumbering into view. She put even Zephyr to shame, her shoulder even with his and a sheen to her fur that gave it's dark blue coloring purple tints. "You are the Chosen, are you not?"

"I am," he replied, rather uneasy about the whole thing at this point. 

"You must prove yourself worthy to pass," she said, making no move to attack this time as the others had.

"How do I do that?" asked Allen, even more wary that before.

"Then tell me what it is you have learned," she said firmly, sitting down a few yards from him with her ears cocked forward attentively.

He nodded carefully, relaxing ever so slightly and relating his experiences to her with the patterns, realizing there were not just one but also many yet each was connected to the rest and they depended on each other to survive. He then explained about the scales and weights, and how each represented some opposite within the world and while he was to guard them with care, and make sure they stayed where they belonged so one would not upset the balance of the rest, he could not mess with them for a tipping of one was a tipping of them all and their balanced harmony was imperative to the balanced harmony of all.

"Very good," said the Tigress when he'd finished, nodding her head slightly. "Did you learn anything before that, though?"

"Before that…?" Allen wracked his brain for a moment, and then sighed. "You mean the path with the illusions, do you not?"

"I do," she replied, continuing to gaze at him steadily. "What did they mean to you?"

"The illusions?" he replied. "Things I wanted to help, to change, yet I couldn't because I knew they weren't real, they were only distractions to bring me from the path which I'd agreed to take."

"Yet you still strayed from the path."

"And I had to right that mistake," he added quickly, sensing her slight disappointment. "Which I did, yet I may not be so lucky next time, and I must be more careful not to let other things distract me from my path in the future."

"And what is your path?" questioned the Tigress.

"To become the Guardian of All," came the quiet reply. "And face he who has become the Destroyer of All."

"Very well." She rose to her feet, lumbering towards him at a slow and steady pace. Nothing gave him any warning other than instinct itself as she launched herself at him suddenly, his muscles coming to life on their own as he jerked to the side and brought up his sword at the same time; the dust settling to show him still standing with the Tigress on her side, his sword at her neck.

"Why have you not killed me?" she asked, her voice as steady and calm as it had been moments before.

"You do not seem evil, or even that deadly to me," replied Allen. "You could've killed me, I'm sure, but you didn't. So why shouldn't I return the favor?"

The Tigress considered this, then nodded to herself. "You will do, I think." Then disappeared in the blink of an eye. 

Allen blinked, and looked around, finding the bodies of the monsters gone as well and faced with three beings instead. Each stood beside the sword, shield, and circlet, and each bore on their forehead the symbol, which adorned the shield. 

"We are the Deemers of Patterns, Balances and Justice," they said as one, each reaching for an object from the stand before stepping forward with it. 

"The Circlet, to know the Patternsss when you ssssee it," said the first fellow, his eyes slitted like that of a snake and his teeth fanged in the front. A checkerboard of black and white covered his amble robe, and he moved with the boneless grace of a snake as he placed the circlet upon Allen's head.

"The Shield, to protect the Balances of the Realms, and make sure no harm comes to them," said the second, a young woman by her voice with blue eyes the same color as the lake he'd passed and long hair with bits of seaweed braided into it. Her robes were that of an ocean blue, ripping like the waves as she put the shield on his arm. A perfect fit, he noted, finding it to be far lighter than it looked.

"The Sword, to defend the lives which are precious," said the third and final being, as sexless as the sword it carried over her. Its long blue/purple hair cascaded down in waves, and he was so busy trying to figure out just exactly what it was Allen didn't even realize his sword had been taken from his hand and replaced with the one she'd once held. It was perfectly balanced, and sat in his hand like it had been made specifically for him. 

"Well done, mortal," said the final being, taking her place in the middle of the other three and they all bowed to him as one. His new possessions began to glow, his raggedly clothes changing from the gray wool pants, shirt, and tunic into fine linen pants and new leather boots and tunic, a silk shirt under the tunic and a heavy cloak about his shoulders. His belt and wrist guards became like new as well, all the leather he was wearing tooled with the same design he bore on his shield and flashed with silver and gold inlays. 

"I passed?" he asked, inspecting his new outfit and weapon before sheathing it and bowing to them properly. "I thank you, Testors."

"Here is your new pack," said the middle one, obviously the leader of the three, as a new one materialized at his back. "And here are your options." Three portals blazed before him, these ones seemingly out of mid air. "As usual, the first will lead you home to the place where you started." The portal showed his parents and siblings setting up camp around the portal, preparing for something to come. "The second, this time, will lead you not to your nephew and lover, but instead he who you wish to defeat." The portal showed a being wreathed in shadows and a similar outfit to his own, his face hidden in a dark cowl. "The third and final will take you to the Ice King's Mountain, where the Crown is held. You must get it from him if you wish to get its powers, and then go on to your destiny and fight he who opposes you."

"Which would you advise me to take?" asked Allen, turning away from the portals to them instead. 

"On what basis?" asked the lead being, tilting its head slightly to the side. "For speed, surely the second one. For power, surely the third one. For safety, for the moment anyways, surely the first. It is up to you, Guardian of All Realms and Beings, which do you wish to choose?"

"I choose…" Allen paused there, then nodded his head as if listening to some voice the others couldn't hear. "My enemy…he has his Crown, does he not? Then I must go and get mine…" He strode towards the portal, going through it without a moment's hesitation and disappearing from sight.

The three Testors began to fade out, each saying something as they left. 

"That one will make a good Guardian, if he lives through the Climb and the Final Battle. If he does yet, well, that is within the prophecy, yes?"

"The prophecy has yet to play itself out, for some parts have not yet been fulfilled and without them it will fall."

"The prophecy can yet change, as well. We have seen that in all our countless millennia here."

"Then we must hope, for the prophecy is never far wrong, and I look not to a reign of darkness again…"

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Long chapter, and wrote it on my Birthday too, so you all really better be happy!!

Please review, I much love getting them from you and it's nice to feel appreciated once in awhile!

^_^  ~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	7. ,

Ok, so I've been awhile updating. Shoot me. *Considers* Wait…on the other hand, don't, just express your unhappy views about such waits in a review so I might get more than 3 next time I update!! : P

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Firesprite led the trio of young humans relentlessly through the forest, coming to the top of a bluff that overlooked a huge valley below. "There it is," she commented lightly, taking a sip from her flask of water as she pointed to a dim glow that could be seen at the end of the vale. 

"Seems like we'd never reach it," said Z, resting his legs while he had the chance by sitting on a log. "But now that we have…I'm not so sure I want to leave."

"The Spirit Realms do grow on you after awhile," admitted the Guardian with a wry twist of her lips. "But, you are mortals, and it isn't good for you to stay in places like this for long. Come, it is time for you to go home."

She turned and began to walk back the way they'd came, much to the puzzlement of the others with her. 

"Excuse me if I sound rather foolish," said Kenjou, grabbing her arm as she was about to go past him. "But isn't the path that way? As in right in front of us and down those steps to the bottom of the bluff?"

"Not unless you want to take the long way," snorted Firesprite, tugging out of his grasp. "This way, however…" She went back a few more steps, pulling aside some fronds and branches to show a less worn path that led along the side instead of through the middle of the valley. "Shall be much quicker indeed."

"Oh." Kenjou shrugged his shoulders, looking at the sky as if to find some answer he was seeking there. "I've been here for more than a few days now, and you'd think I'd have figured to keep my mouth shut by now, but no…"

"Keni, you never have and you never will," retorted Annie, her remark softened by the teasing light in her eyes. 

"Quiet, you three," called back Firesprite in a soft voice. "There's a few watchdogs we have in place over the portal, and while none but the Guardians know of or can use this path, I'd rather not waste time explaining things to them. That is part of the reason we're taking this path, to bypass their questions and verifications. While they will be put out that I did this to them, they'll get over it quick enough."

The path led them to a ledge about ten feet across that ran the length of the valley, completely covered with verdant ferns and vines that easily hid their passage. Firesprite stuck to the path in the shadows, and the others followed her example, keeping out of sight and making as little noise as possible.

Losing sight of the Guardian around a bend, Annie picked up the pace so as to not get left behind while her brother and friend followed at a slower, more relaxed pace. When they caught sight of Firesprite again, it was with Annie at her side and neither one looked too happy about whatever it was they were seeing. Coming up beside them, Z noticed a few giant beast he'd never seen before in his life, who looked like several of the fiercer monsters he knew of all stuffed together, staked to the ground and lying very, very still. Kenjou saw it as well, but was more absorbed with the subtle movements in the trees below that couldn't be attributed to normal wildlife activity.

"Wait here," murmured Firesprite, sprouting the wings that had lain dormant for a while and cloaking herself so she would meld into the shadows better. "Stay hidden and don't move until I come and get you. If I don't come back by tomorrow morning, get out of here and head back to the Guardian's place as fast as you can." Leaving with them the provisions and the map, she didn't even wait for an answer before disappearing out of sight for good.

"What?!" Kenjou nearly went running after her, his progress checked by the hand Annie had clasped over his mouth and the arm Z had placed around his neck. "Hm?!! Hm!! Hmmsnmdmn!!"

"She said to stay," said Annie in a quiet voice, putting her mouth right by his ear. "If that's what she said to do, that's what we're going to do, understand? Something's not right, so she's gone to check it out. We will stay here and rest until she returns, or leave tomorrow morning and hope for the best. And you _will not leave before then nor do anything against what she has spoken."_

Kenjou wrenched himself from their grasp, glaring at them both as he sat himself under one of the trees. "Your father wouldn't have stayed," he spat quietly. "He would've gone after her, as would've Uncle Allen and your mother too!! They weren't cowards!!"

"They were also in their own realm," Annie reminded him coldly. "Where they had the ability to face whatever came at them. If you haven't noticed, we don't have an icicle's chance in hell of living if one of those evil Destroyer guys comes after us without Firesprite to protect us. You may not have the brains to realize that, but I do and I have no intention of not making it home alive when we're this close to being there again."

Kenjou just growled in response and sulked by himself as Annie and Z settled themselves nearby, sharing some bread and cheese between the two of them. He was subdued for now, and they could only hope it would last until Firesprite had returned again. 

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Kenjou smoldered sleepily as Annie and Z slept nearby practically hidden from sight by the leaves that were draped overhead. He was still angry about the whole thing; they shouldn't have stopped him like that! An explanation would've sufficed, it was _not necessary for them to gag and hold him like they had. Whether or not he would've listened was completely out of the question, the point was they shouldn't have acted like they did._

His eyes began to drift shut as he scolded himself for being so careless. He should wake one of them, make them sit watch for awhile, but he was too stubborn to admit that he needed something from them and continued to barely hold his eyes open enough to see the ground in front of them. Perhaps that is why he hadn't seen the shadows until it was far too late…

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"Annie!!" 

The young woman sat up, her hand immediately going to her blade as she realized her twin was no longer beside her. Jumping to her feet, she saw Kenjou lying to the side with several creatures piled on him, and her twin in the hands of some brutes she wasn't sure were completely human. 

"Get off of him!!" she yelled, charging at them as she felt her anger take over her better judgment. "Z!!" One of the men turned and, with a flick of his blade that she hadn't seen, disarmed her and sent her falling back.

"Annie!" cried Z again, throwing off one of his captors only to have the others beat him with butt of their weapons so he'd be still. "No!!"

"Let go of my brother!" she demanded, slowly rising to her feet as the one who'd thrown her back advanced on her slowly.

"No on makes demands on me, girlie," he said with a wolfish grin. "I make demands on them. And my wishes are always granted…" He dodged out of the way as she lunged at him again, this time tripping her in the act with one foot and kicking her in the ribs with the other as she fell. 

Annie lay there, groaning in pain as she tried to get her breath and her aching sides refused to move. Rolling over, she struggled to her knees slowly and attempted to rise, only to fall once more.

"Not so tough, are you?" he taunted lazily, forcing her chin up with the tip of his blade. "Just a little too feisty for your own good."

"Coward," she yelled, spitting in his face. His shoulders shaking in rage as he wiped it from his chin, he smacked her to the ground and kicked her in the side of the head, leaving her limp body there for his men to pick up.

"I hate them when they're feisty."

"Annie!! No!!"

"Shaddup, pretty boy," snapped the man in charge, backhanding Z with such force that his captors had to help him stay upright. "She'll be fine, for now. Later, however, when there is time for some real fun…" His face turned dark and cruel. "We shall see."

"Shall we take them back to our Lord Darkwynd, sir?" asked one of the men, motioning to Annie and Kenjou who were both lying limply on the ground. 

"No," replied the man in charge, motioning for someone to go pick up the two as well as their things. "Take their provisions and make sure they are unarmed before chaining them with the others in the center of the camp. I will take care of Lord Darkwynd, for I believe this is not the main one we are searching for."

"Yes, sir!" The fellow smirked to himself, three new playthings for when he was bored, and one was even a young woman who might afford him some other pleasures than he'd been seeking for awhile. First to see 'his Lordship' Darkwynd. The pompous pinhead, he'd follow him for now but when the time was right…Mazer, which was his name, toyed with a dagger thoughtfully. His time would come soon, all he had to do was wait.

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Firesprite crept through the camps she found in the valley below, a feeling of dread slowly tightening around her heart. The Destroyer of All had been found already, and apparently he wasn't taking any chances on if he would rule a realm or not. 

Even if he did lose, and he was left alive to continue to rule his realm, he'd be in the perfect position to march right into the Mortal Realm by holding the only portal like this and take it by storm. With an army of spirit beings and humans, most likely soldiers, that had died years ago and gone to his realms for punishment out for revenge on the world that had 'treated' them 'wrong', he'd have little or no trouble taking it for his own.

There had to be thousands of fighters hear. The entire front of the valley was covered with tents for human soldiers to live in, and part of the back was filled as well. In the center, by the portal, there were the spirit beings. Monsters who'd fought with Moo and the Creator from the past brought back to life for the purpose of helping them take over the Mortal Realms. They even had a few of the lesser earth, water, and fire spirits, controlled by the stone in their forehead being removed by another. That was just plain slavery, but even if she were to give them their stones back they'd never be the same so there was nothing she could do for them.

She contemplated destroying the camp right then, in an awesome unleashing of her mighty power, when her attention was attracted by a commotion coming into camp. She'd noticed the prisoners in the middle of the camp and had been deciding whether or not they'd be worth saving but this clinched it that it was. Kenjou and Annie were thrown on the ground next to Z who was forced to stand there while a thick shackle was placed about each of their legs. Each was given a five foot chain, attached to a giant tree trunk with its head severed off about ten feet from the ground. A single tent was shared by all of the prisoners, and their entire area was surrounded by light so they'd have little chance to escape without being caught. 

Resisting the urge to jump out right then and roast the entire valley with one breath, she slunk back into the foliage and to the cliff tops. She needed a plan and needed it now. Allen had to be given the time to complete his trials and tests, and the Mortal Realms had to be guarded against such and attack, the only problem was how…

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Allen steadily climbed higher, his shield, sword, and pack slung over his back as he used his hands and feet to slowly inch his way up the walls and cliffs. The mountain itself was huge, towering over everything else in sight. He shivered slightly in the sudden cold. Just a few moments ago, he'd been ready to take off his cape and shirt he'd been so hot, but now…

Sighing tiredly, Allen crawled over a ledge and stopped for a few moments, removing his pack and weapons before lying flat on his back and staring at the sky. It seemed like weeks, even months since he'd started this journey. So much had happened, making everything, even his Lili, seem like a distant part of his past.

Allen sat up quickly as he retraced that thought. _His_ Lili?! Where the heck had that come from?! She wasn't his anymore than the breeze or the sun was, she didn't belong to anyone or anything she was just…Lili. Or Firesprite, as she was called now. Still, should she ever somehow belong to him…

He smacked himself on the forehead for thinking such things and losing sight of his goal for a moment. His hand hit the circlet, which flew off and fell to his side with a soft 'clink'. Though he hadn't noticed it before, it had something written on either side of the single crystal that had been set in it. Just a single character, but neither one he recognized so he placed it back on his head with a sigh and gathered up his gear to start pressing forward once more. 

It was peaceful, here on the side of the mountain, with the sky high above and the earth and waters far below. He was almost in a limbo of sorts, one where perhaps nothing could harm him and he'd be safe and happy here forever. Still, he knew it was not true, and even if he had Firesprite at his side, if she'd even ever agree to such a place, that it would never come true. He was in as much danger here as he was anywhere else, but he could not help feel that at least the danger here was less immanent than it might be otherwise just because of the flowing silence around him.

Allen topped another ledge and allowed his thoughts to flow free for a moment, his body perfectly capable of bearing him up the cliff side without his constant attention. He thought about the others, the twins and Kenjou traveling with Firesprite back home. He wondered if he'd ever see them again, dead or alive, for even their path might hold some danger yet unseen. Especially here, in an unfamiliar realm…he worried about them, but was consoled that they had the best protection possible with Firesprite at their side. They would make it home, he was sure of it, all he had to do was complete his part as well. 

He paused by a spring he'd found, gulping some of it's freezing, fresh water with a gasp it chilled him so before turning to face the way he'd came. He'd finish what he'd started, and he would see them all again soon. Perhaps he hadn't promised it before, he couldn't remember, but he did now. Besides, Allen smirked to himself reassuringly, he had put up with Firesprite all those years, so there was little that could hurt him now, right?

Or so he hoped.

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Genki knelt atop one of the flat-roofed shelters he had made, Zephyr down below collecting what provisions and firewood he could find. The man had never questioned his friend's insistence that they build all these shelters or gather all this food, but he had to wonder why they would need so much of it.

Ten little huts stood to his right and another three without roofs to his left. Each was made of four polls with branches and leaves interwoven to make the sides. The roofs were just more branches with a framework underneath over the top, the dirt floors inside cleared of all plants other and such bracken before being swept clean. Or as clean as a dirt floor ever got anyway. 

"Zephyr, how many more of these do we have to make?" called Genki, thoroughly worn out as he jumped off the top of the shelter and staggered over by his friend. "I'm not a young kid anymore, you know…."

"You sure act like it, though," Zephyr reminded him with a nudge of his nose. "You can stop there, though, for today with the huts. Why don't you go get some more fruit from up in the tree? I can make it fall, yes, but if it goes 'splat' all over the place it really does us little good."

"Alright," agreed Genki with a wink. "I know when you're being lazy, but I haven't disagreed with such large fangs for awhile and I don't intend to start now."

Zephyr laughed out loud. "Then why do you disagree with Holly?"

"I don't!" countered Genki over his shoulder as he walked forward without watching where he was going. "Have you ever seen the fangs she gets when she's mad?! She's every bit as scary as my cousin when she wants to be…omph!" Genki fell backwards on his butt, realizing he'd hit something rather solid that hadn't been there a moment ago. Bowing his head, he rubbed his nose carefully. "Don't tell me a tree just moved…"

"No, you just can't get along without Holly being around," said a familiar voice, a couple of hands reaching down and hauling him to his feet. "Good grief, Genki, she's hasn't even been gone for two weeks…"

"Jack?!" Genki looked up, seeing the other man standing before him with Jon and Jackie on either side. "What…? How did you…?!"

"I brought them, silly," said Holly, coming up behind him and giving him a kiss on the cheek as she slipped her hands around his waist. "Goodness, you really can't keep it together without me, can you?"

Genki winked at her. "Why do you think I married you, beautiful?"

Tilly watched them from her mother's side. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Her clay nodded slowly. "Ai…Silvia too…"

They were all seated around the fire with Zephyr a few moments later, all the introductions complete and part of their light dinner already in their bellies. "Hm, this is really good fish, mister," said Clay, sticking one in her mouth whole and pulling out the skeleton a few moments later. "Who are you again?"

"I'm called Zephyr," said the huge lupine monster, his golden fur shining in the firelight as he sat beside Holly calmly. "At least by these folks, I am, but I am also known as Wyndcatcher…"

The Clay dropped the bones, looking at Zephyr with reverence as she dropped and bowed with her forehead pressing into the ground. "Most Honored Wyndcather!! I'm sorry I did not pay you these respects sooner…"

"What are you doing?" asked Tilly, giving her monster a confused look as she continued to bow in Zephyr's direction. "It's just old Zephyr, he can travel back and forth between the two realms yes but he's just Aunt Lilianne's companion, right?"

"How dare you dishonor the great Wyndcather!!" cried Silvia, giving her a master a distressed look as she began to bow fervently before the sweating monster. "My humblest apologies, oh great one! She does not know to whom she speaks, I swear! Please do not bring your awesome wrath upon her, I beg you…eh?"

Silvia looked up slowly, seeing her idol lying on his back, laughing so hard tears were coming to his eyes as the others joined in as well. "Oh, youngling…" he gasped, rolling back over and getting up slowly. "Don't worry about her, she doesn't know what you do, and I could never hold it against a family friend." He leaned over and touched her on her forehead with his nose, giving her a smile as he did. "Thank you, though, I appreciate your honoring of me. However, it's not necessary, really, here I am considered to be the same as you."

"The same as ME?!" Silvia was horrified at the thought. "But, sir, I could never even begin to consider…"

"Hush now." Zephyr put a paw over her lips. "Here, I am Zephyr, that is what you shall call me, ok?"

"Uh…hai…Sir Zephyr…"

"That's as close as your gonna get to it, bud," whispered Meg in his ear as the lupine sighed. "She's an extremely honorific to her fellow monsters, even for a Clay."

"So I can see…"

"Aren't you going to eat that?" asked Holly, pointing at the bowl of soup set before him that had yet to be touched.

"I'm not hungry, thank you," he replied. "You may have it, or give it to Genki if you wish…" The normal bottomless-pit of the group didn't even have time to reply before Holly had snatched and gulped it down, sighing in satisfaction as she rubbed her tummy and burped. 

"Oops! Ah, excuse me…" Holly blushed as Genki gave her an odd look.

"Are you feeling all right, dear?" he asked slowly, approaching cautiously as if she might pick him up and swallow him whole as well.

"Just fine," replied Holly, giving him a puzzled look. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"N-no…I just haven't seen you like that since you were pregnant with Z and Annie…" His eyes suddenly tripled in size as reality hit him like a ton of bricks. "Wait… does that mean…"

"What do you know, the baka picked it up himself," murmured Jackie to her twin, both exchanging glances. 

"Hai," replied Holly softly, and even though she'd gained a few wrinkles over the hairs and some gray hairs here and there, to Genki she looked the same as she did the first time she'd given him this sort of news. "I…we're going to have another baby, Genki."

"We're…I'm…" His eyes began to water as he got up and danced Holly around the fire. "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER AGAIN!!" Holly just laughed softly, both of them practically shining with love and join as they continued their dance a little way from the fire.

"I think I'm going to be sick," stated Tilly under her breath as she turned away from the pair. "Again."

"Oh yeah," added Silvia who's eyes looked more like spirals at that point. "Me too."

"Being mushy is not always a bad thing," said Meg with a wink. "It's what brought you to this world, Tilly."

"Aw, mom! I don't need to hear about that…"

"Zephyr, what do you think about it?" asked Jack, smiling at the prospect of another adopted grandchild. The Guardian of Wynds didn't reply, he just stared up at the moon. "Uh…Zeph?"

"Shh." 

Everything grew silent as Zephyr suddenly through back his head and howled to the full moon above. But instead of fading away into the distance, it pulsed around them and slowly grew more and more intense…when it vanished without a trace. 

"What was that?!" demanded Jon, at his feet in an instant. "What's going on, Zephyr?!"

"It was a call," came the calm, cool reply. "It is coming soon, and we will need all the help we can get."

"A call?" Jackie shook her head. "To who?"

"To everyone." Zephyr leapt away to sit above the portal, his outline framed by the moon behind him. "Do not ask me to explain, you will all understand eventually."

Jack sighed, gathering his cloak about himself as he headed for the shelter he'd claimed as his own earlier. "This can't be good."

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Annie could feel something around herself. It was warm, and smelled familiar, but she was so tired, and if she could only sleep for a few more minutes… 

"I said wake up!" came the gruff command, her leg suddenly yanked rather painfully so hard that she flipped over and saw a guard leaning over her with a sneer on his face. "Ah, so sleeping beauty finally decided to join us, eh?" He nudged her none to gently. "Don't let it happen again!"

"What's he talking about?" she murmured, holding her pounding head in her hands as she pulled the wrap that had been covering her around her shoulders. 

"Just stand up," said Z, he and Kenjou taking either arm and hauling her to her feet so they could join the other prisoners in the tent. "There, that's it…"

"They're all away, sir," called one of the guards. 

"Ok, then, bring in the bucket." A single, wooden pail filled with some thin slop was placed by the tree trunk while they were held away with spears pointed at them, the other three who were with them watching the pail with a starved look in their eyes. A second was added to it, this one filled with water. The guards them slowly backed off, and as soon as all of them were out of range the other three raced forwards to fight over the first pail and its contents.

"I can't believe it," murmured Annie, her vision slowly dimming as she watched them. "They're…they're more like animals than humans…"

"Hey!!" Kenjou put both arms around her waist, slowly lowering her to the ground as Z slowly edged around the other three and grabbed the pail of water to bring back to them.

"Hang in there, Annie," murmured Allen's nephew as he dipped a corner of his shirt sleeve in the water and washed Annie's face with it. Z just sat beside him watching the trio at the pale, an older woman, a younger one, and an older fellow around Allen's age. The man shoved the two women aside suddenly, taking what was left of the pail and running for the tent. Instead of pursing him, they sat there wearily. Z watched as the man coaxed two others to crawl out of the tent. Both under ten or so, it was two little girls who weakly gobbled down that which was left before crawling back into the tent silently.

"I can't believe humans can be reduced to such a state," whispered Z to himself, picking up the pail of water and taking it over to the women who still sat by the pole. They both accepted it from him with a nod, but said nothing as they drank from it slowly.

"I think I'm going to be sick," murmured Annie as she stared at the tent where the two little girls had disappeared into. "They were eating…did you see what was in there?!"

"Bits and parts of what the rest didn't want, would be my guess," coughed Kenjou, upset with the situation but trying not to sing with joy that Annie was willingly leaning on his shoulder at the moment. 

"That's…that's horrible…they're being treated worse that dogs!"

"At this point, I don't think they care," whispered Z. "And they'll probably do anything to keep us from eating it as well. Water, well, I bet they're given as much as they want. But food is probably harder to come by, and with more to share with it's going to become even scarcer than before."

"Where did we sleep last night?" asked Annie, beginning to feel tired again. "I can hardly remember anything at all…"

"Around the pole," replied Kenjou, motioning towards where the two women were sitting with the water bucket between them. "I was out cold until this morning, and Z probably didn't feel like dragging us to the tent…"

"Hm…where's your cloak, though?" She gave him a puzzled look. "You were wearing the one Uncle Allen gave you, right? The one he used to wear when he was younger…"

"Uh, you have it actually…" coughed Kenjou, fiddling with the hem of his shirt while Z looked around them appraisingly. 

Annie looked in surprise at the gray length of cloth she had wrapped around her shoulders. "I do…oh. How did I get it?"

"Y-you…you looked cold, that's all…"

"It looks like we're not going anywhere soon," cut in Z, having inspected his shackle and found it quiet impossible to remove without a key. He noticed the bags under his sisters eyes, and made a shooing motion with his hands. "Go in the shade with Kenjou, sis, and get some sleep."

Annie looked at her twin stubbornly. "But you might need my help!"

"I'll wake you if I do!"

"No you won't."

"I swear I will, but you need your rest…"

"Ah, what have we here," broke in a familiar voice. The commander from the day before stood over them, surrounded by several guards wielding spears pointed right at them. "Release them, men, Master Darkwynd wishing to have a word or two with them…"

They were dragged into the largest tent in the camp, forced to stand before a thrown that sat in there upon which a beast sat unlike any they'd seen before. Human enough in that he had two arms and legs and walked upright, that's where the similarities ended. His hide was covered in scales, and a long whippy tail flicked its end at his feet. A ridge that went down his back started with some horns on his forehead, and the only clothing he wore was a large pair of trousers and a belt with an enormous katana in it. Towering over them as he stood, Z gulped as he realized this fellow could probably lift them all with one arm and never break a sweat. The thought didn't comfort him in the least.

"Now, children," rumbled the creature. "Perhaps you do not realize this, and if you don't I shall gladly set you free, but you are trespassing on my land."

"Trespassing?!" spat Annie before either boy could stop her. "Since when is the portal in the hands of any others besides the Guardians?"

"My dear, we are the Guardians," sneered the creature at her. "I am the Guardian of the Living, Keitaro."

"That is a lie," burst Z angrily. "You are no more a Guardian than I am a god!"

The creature chuckled evilly, drawing closer to them. "You say that I lie. Guards?" All three of them cried out as one as they were suddenly beat from behind, left to lie in a pile at his feet as the creature waved them away. "I see you know more than you probably should. Or at least might know something of use to me. I am the Destroyer of the Living, Keitaro. Known as Master Darkwynd by those who inhabit this camp. Tell me, how do you know what a Guardian is?"

"Like I'll tell you," growled Annie, nursing her wrist that was bent entirely the wrong way.

"Insolent brat…" Keitaro growled as he backhanded her to the wall. Kenjou tried to go to her side and was knocked back with a well-aimed kick, finding himself on the wall opposite of her. "Che. You will bow before me and beg for mercy before I am done with you, especially you little girl, and I will still get the information I require regardless. You could save yourself the trouble and just tell me, however…who is it who brought you here and why?"

"My name is Z," said Genki's son, a smirk on his face as he looked up at Keitaro lazily. "And I am here before you. That is all I know."

"Guards." Keitaro watched with pleasure as the three young people were beaten again. He would break them to his will eventually. Given the time, and the resources, they would be his, as would what they know.

#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#~@~#

Kenjou woke with a start as he felt someone gently washing his face. Pushing the hands away quickly, he was on his knees in an instant and looked around himself. The man from before sat across from him, a rag in his hand and one of the little girls at his side.

"Relax, little brother," said the man, nodding his head slightly. "You are safe, now. Though I must say that collection of bruises you've gained is quite impressive…."

"Eh…" Kenjou winced as he realized just how much he actually hurt. The beatings and questioning seemed to have lasted forever. "How long have I been out?"

"Not even an hour," replied the man with a shrug. "Your friends are here, and Kit is attending to them right now." He held out a small jar, and a packet of seeds in his hand. "Here, you might want to use these."

"Where did you get them?" asked Kenjou, feeling extremely confused. "Did you steal them or something?!"

"No, they were give to me by the guards for you," explained the man bitterly. "You must know something very important for them to treat you this badly and then turn around and give you the best treatment they can."

"Then that is…?"

"Bruise balm and painkillers," replied the man with a shrug. "Come on. I have to set the bones of your friend's arm, and I have a feeling she's going to be less than grateful for it…"

Kenjou smiled wryly. "Thank you. Who are you, though?"

"Seta." His worn face was lined with hunger and grief; making him seem much older than he probably was. Thin as a rake like the rest of them were, and his face covered with black stubble, his shirt and over tunic hung from his body and his pants had to be held up by a belt or they'd fall off completely. "And this one is Kat, the elder of my two daughters."

He motioned to the little black haired girl beside him, a thin little waif so pitiful that Kenjou just wanted to pick her up and protect her from the world. Her hair reached almost to her feet in it's braid, and Kenjou was just about to ask just how long they'd been there when a familiar cry came from the tent.

"She's awake," said Seta to herself, following at a slower pace as Kenjou rushed right in and all most passed out at the sight before him. Annie's arm was bent at a 90 degree angle in the wrong direction, and her wrist wasn't much better either.

"Oh my gosh…" 

"Kenjou," she ground through her teeth slowly as tears fell from her eyes. "Brother…Kenjou…Momma… Please, someone, make it stop…"

"It's me, Kenjou," he said quickly, kneeling at her side since Z was still passed out cold beside her. "Relax, Annie, please, there's someone here who will help you…"

"Hold her down, boy," said Seta, taking a seat on the same side as the broken arm.  "They wouldn't give me restraints and she's not going to just hold still for it…" He took it in both hands and felt around for a moment, Kenjou holding Annie down by her arms and with one leg holding down her stomach when she suddenly writhed with pain as Seta began to snap the bones back into place.

"AAHHHHAHHHHH!!!"

"Sister!" Z sat up as Seta stuffed a gag down Annie's throat, somewhat silencing her piercing screams.

"The guards will beat us and with hold our dinner if we make too much noise," explained Seta calmly, wrapping up the arm as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry, but I'm not about to risk that…"

"Sit back down," insisted the woman who appeared at Z's side as he struggled to stay upright, the world swimming around him as he tried to find some still object to concentrate on. "Seta-sama said you had a concussion, and you must not move around so…"

"But my sister…!!" protested Z.

"I've got her," said Kenjou with a nod. "Don't worry, Z, I won't let anything happen to her."

"You'd better not, Ken," came the rough reply.

"I won't, I won't…." Annie's arm was set soon after, her body relaxing with the water she was given that had been laced with the painkillers. Drifting off to sleep, Seta had said it was because of the pain killers and she would wake soon. Z was moved out by the fire they were allowed every night, laying there in the care of the other  younger woman who Kenjou had noted for her apparent beauty but had been too busy with Annie to notice much else.

Dinner came and went, but still Annie did not wake. Kenjou saved her his share, taking none for himself since he had no stomach to eat right then. Kit and her sister Kat, Seta's daughters, had crawled into their usual corner and fallen asleep long ago when Annie finally stirred, the rest of the tent's usual occupants out by the fire with Z extracting information from him. The fact that he had his head resting in the young, lovely one's lap was probably drawing more out of him than usual, and Kenjou just hoped it wasn't too much. Endangering the other prisoners was not something he wanted to do right now.

"Ken…jou…?"

"Hai?" He leaned over Annie, seeing her open both eyes slightly with a dazed look. 

"My arm…?"

"Will be fine," he assured her quickly. "Seta rubbed it with the bruise stuff that supposedly helps heal it faster, and with the pain killers you took you shouldn't be too bad off right now…"

"…I guess so." She turned away, looking at the two miserable girls huddled in the corner wearing only their rags. "Kenjou?"

"Hai?" he asked, scooting a little closer so he was at her side and not by the tent wall. 

"Give them the cloak," she said, drawing it off her with her good arm. "I still have mine…"

"But, you're hurt…" he protested, then let the words die on his lips as he saw the determined look on her face. "Ah, ok." Taking it from her, he spread it over the two gently and watched in amusement as they immediately burrowed into it next to each other. Sitting by her again, he offered her the bucket with the little bit of broth and some questionable bits of meat in it. "Here, we left you some dinner. Do you need anything else?"

"I'm not weak and defenseless, you know," said Annie slowly, sitting up with a wince as she took the bucket from him and all but licked it clean. "I can take care of myself."

"Whoa, I…I'm not disputing that at all!!" stammered Kenjou as he backed up slightly. "Really, it's just you took the brunt of the beatings and I thought you might want some help…"

Annie didn't reply, just set the bucket to the side as Kenjou reached behind him and drew out the bruise balm. 

"Uh…you want some?" he offered warily, unsure of how she would act. He opened it and dipped out a bit on his hand, rubbing it gently onto the large, purple bruise he had over his shoulders. 

"No…no thanks," she said slowly, looking away as his muscles relaxed and released the pain that had been there.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "I know you're into the whole 'macho-babe' thing, but sometimes it's stupid to refuse help that's offered to you."

"Macho-babe?!" cried Annie, sitting up and hitting him over the head with her good hand. " First off, I am not a macho-babe, I'm a warrior and I can take the pain of whatever injuries I gain! Second, I couldn't use it if I wanted to because I'm right handed and my right and is kinda out of commission right now!"

"Oh, that's right…" Kenjou considered her words for a moment. "Though, it is partially your fault, egging them on like that and all…"

"Was I?" she asked, laying back down slowly as she tried to hide just how much it hurt. "I hardly remember, now."

"You're mouth is always getting you into trouble, though," said Kenjou with a smirk. "You just couldn't resist getting in that last remark, and each time they'd just smack you around more for it. You'd think you would've learned after the first few times…"

"Like that pea-brained dirt bag could ever teach me anything useful," came the short retort, "And if I recall correctly, you're mouth is every bit as big as mine and gets you into the same amount of trouble."

"Ok, my trouble involves glares for the Aunite, and black eyes from you," countered Kenjou with a frown. "Yours was more along the lines of being beaten to death. Does anyone else see a difference here?"

Annie grumbled to herself as she made a snatch at the jar. "Does anyone else care…??" She ignored his knowing look as she took a bit out and began to spread it on her arms, taking care not to touch the lower half of the right one too much so she wouldn't upset the broken bones. 

"Here." She was surprised as he took a bit and put it on her cheekbone. "You have a nasty one there, but you can't see it so you probably didn't know it was there…"

"Uh…thanks…"

"Kenjou, are you in there taking advantage of my sister again?" called Z teasingly, obviously having heard them fight. 

"Oh, was it really that obvious?" Kenjou called back, ducking out as fast as he could as the jar went flying past his head. "Night, Annie-chan!!"

"Do us all a favor and die along with my twin, Kenjou!" came the angry reply. 

"Perhaps, but not yet," he replied, lying down by the fire next to Z. "I really need to learn when not to talk, don't I?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," replied Z sleepily. "But let's worry about that after Lilianne comes and gets us, ok?"

"What makes you so sure she will?"

"Because. Would Annie have left us here?"

"…well, not you maybe…"

"Kenjou…!"

"Alright, she wouldn't."

"Then neither will Lilianne, who she was named for, right?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. It's just…"

"….zzzz….zzz…."

Kenjou glanced at Z, who had fallen asleep before he'd even laid down completely. "Hm…night."

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*whirly eyes* Ai…too much computer, anime, and tv put together…

Anywho, there you go, enjoy, and have a great summer! ^_^

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	8. 

And, we're back again!! Multiple chapters up at a time!! WHOO!! ^_^ Please enjoy, for I have slaved over these just for your pleasure. . Or something to that effect…

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Firesprite crept along as silent as a shadow on the grass, easily evading the lazy perimeter guards who were supposed to stop any intruders from entering the camp without even trying that hard. The prisoners, who were supposed to be guarded by four separate sentries at different intervals around their ring, were left unguarded for once due to some drill or other. The Guardian knew that if she hadn't heard from a random fellow walking by that it was tonight she never would've found a way to get them free and into the portal safely.

 Slipping into the tent that Annie shared with the other women, she quickly woke the young woman and gave her enough lock picks to go around the group. Annie was so happy to see her that she almost forgot about her arm and almost bent it back again as a result. But after a quick touch of the Guardian's healing powers and a hug to reassure the young woman everything was going to be ok, she was ready to carry out her part of the plan.

Annie quickly woke the other women in the tent, keeping them silent with a few hissed warnings as she worked the locks with the little shafts of metal until they finally came free. Leaving them there to wait until the Guardian's signal came through, she slipped a few in her shirt and wandered out with an odd smile on her face. 

Going over to Kenjou, who wasn't quite asleep yet, she lay in front of him and woke him with a quick tap on the nose. Covering his mouth with her fingers, she reached under her shirt and drew out the lock picks slowly. Their eyes met, and he understood perfectly in an instant what had happened. 

"She's here," she whispered in his ear, flicking back her hair with one hand that also happened to released one of the bits of metal in Seta's direction at the same moment. He stretched in his 'sleep' and grabbed it out of the air, sitting up a few moments later and sitting with his back to them and his legs crossed so he could work the lock without being too noticeable. 

"So I figured," he replied, touching her bandaged arm gently, which she'd been using as if it weren't hurt at all. "And…?"

"She said she will clear the path," she replied slowly. "We'll know when that is, and when comes to run."

"For the portal?"

"Yes, all of us."

"Alright…" He bit his lip, then kissed her cheek quickly as she was getting up slowly. "For luck."

She growled at him. "More like for your Death…" But could do no more as she slipped back into the tent. Z and Seta now sat back to back, Seta's chain unlocked but left in place for the sake of appearances and Z working on his while the two talked quietly. That wasn't so strange, given that almost always one of the guys was awake out of habit to make sure no one came and harassed 'their' women during the night.

Kenjou lay there with his knees up to his chest, wiggling the lock with the lock pick she'd left in his hands. What would the signal be, and how would they know? He hoped their Aunt knew what she was doing, their lives depended on it.

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Firesprite placed the last of her explosives in place, an evil grin flitting across her face. She may be the Guardian of the Living, but that didn't mean she couldn't 'remove from existence' those who endangered her friends. They weren't conventional 'human' bombs, things of sulfur or nitric acid or whatever that would blow up with the use of a switch. These were her homemade bombs, and were bond to do more damage than those little packs ever could.

 "And now for the finishing touch…" Firesprite leapt upon into one of the trees, right in middle of the prisoner's circle and the portal which had been rather heavily guarded. Planting her little beauties there had been a bit of a problem, but she'd managed and things would be better because of it. 

She stood, drawing her sword as she allowed her full abilities to show through in a full transformation of her being. Taking a deep breath, she threw back her head and let out a banshee scream that woke the entire camp. "PREPARE TO DIE!!"

Just as she jumped in the air a twenty-foot wide track between the portal and the prisoners was engulfed in flames, everything destroyed in an instant with a deafening roar…

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Kenjou had long since given up the pretense that he was asleep, bidding the other two to get their rest while he stood beside their dying fire. Time seemed to stand still, when for once in his life all he wanted it to do was hurry up and be over with. What if something happened to Firesprite? What should they do then, attempt to escape on their own? Take their chances and run for it? And how would they know, they didn't have a way to talk with her or anything…

"AAAAAIIIIIIRGHHHHHHEAAAAAAAHH!!" He turned quickly to see massive flames leaping high above everything else, an entire swath of the camp between them and the portal (including all the initial guards) gone in an instant. The flames died as quickly as they'd came, but two more such explosions went off as Kenjou ran towards the tent and met Annie there holding Kit and one of the other two carrying Kat.

"You think that's the signal?"

"What else could it be?!"

"Then let's go!"

Seta lead the race for the portal, the older woman Kino and the beautiful one Mitsumo right behind him and Annie and Z bringing up the end. Kenjou covered their backs as best he could, making sure they weren't followed or anyone noticed they were gone during the mayhem Firesprite was causing behind them. Everyone but Annie and Z were through when he got there, watching as they threw the little girl through before Z dove it and Annie charged through as well grabbing Kenjou's hand at the last minute to make sure he came too.

For Kenjou, time seemed to slow down as he felt her hand clasp his own. In the distance, he saw Firesprite soaring towards them, and the look in her eyes, it hit him like a ton of bricks. {_She's not coming back…}a voice in her head cried in realization. _

She looked back at him as he felt himself being pulled through the portal, a slight smile on her face. "Take care of them!" he heard her yell. "Especially Annie, she's just like me in some regards but without the part-monster thing. I'm counting on you, Kenjou!!"

"NO!!" he screamed, trying to fight his way back out as he was pulled completely through the portal to the other side. "NO, FIRESPRITE!! LILIANNE!!! NOOO!!!"

Firesprite ignored his cries, pulling out a dagger the moment the portal was closed behind him and took out a bloody cloth she'd snatched earlier. Cutting her own palm, she mixed the two together and wrote a single character with it on the stone in the two bloods.

Satisfied, she turned and pulled out her sword again to face the swarms of soldiers who'd gathered behind her. "Come on boys," she jeered lightly, beckoning with a jerk of her head as the first rank began it's charge. "I'm waiting…"

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Zephyr packed restlessly as he had since dawn, refusing to eat, drink, or even rest as he walked the same circle time and time again around the camp fire a little ways behind those were sitting waiting for their breakfast.

"Zeph," said Holly, standing in front of him suddenly as she placed a hand on either side of his face. "Please, will you settle down? Or at least eat something, Genki's made your favorite…"

"I can't," he said abruptly, shouldering past her roughly to resume his endless walk.

She regained her balance and looked at him sadly. "But Zephyr…?"

"I just can't," he sighed, stopping for a moment to flick his ears slightly. "It's just…I can't. I'm sorry…."

"Zephyr, you're going to wear your paws to nothing and your nerves to the edge of snapping completely," said Meg, stopping him with her arm as he came by her seat again.  "What would Lilianne say if she saw you like this?"

"The younger would say I'm being a grumpy grand-dog," murmured Zephyr, pausing for a moment. "The elder, a young pup who's lost his nerves."

"See?" Meg smiled. "Now come on, Zeph, there's a spot right next to me that's open, and-"

"No," cut in Zephyr, resuming his walk after a moment's hesitation. "I'm not being rude, really, I just can't…"

He was interrupted by a rumble underground, everything around them shivering for a moment before stopping just ask quickly as it had come. 

"Hey, what's going-"

"The portal!!!" Everyone ran to the gigantic boulder as its face began to shimmer violently, those who had weapons grabbing them and those who didn't hiding behind those who did. An older fellow burst out suddenly, followed by two young women with one bearing a young girl. But that's not really what caught everyone's attention, for right after that a girl came flying through to land on her back, only to be joined a few moments later by Z who had done a belly flop beside her. 

Annie's head appeared a few moments later, the rest of her following as well as Kenjou's back as he was forced out of the portal by her moment and the shutting of it on the other side. "NO!!" he screamed, letting go and throwing himself against it as if to go back through it again. Beating it with his fits he began to scream, "NO, you can't, you just CAN'T!! FIRESPRITE!!" Tears falling down his face, the young man fell to his knees from complete and total exhaustion, the last thing he remembered before he passed entirely being Annie's face over his as she called his name from afar…

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"You awake, Kenjou?" came a gentle voice, one he knew he'd heard before, but not in a long while since. "Keni boy…?"

"…mom?" He opened his eyes, seeing her leaning over him and sponging his face gently. "What…? Where am I? How did you-"

"It's ok, darling, you're home," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Mom…" he rolled his eyes teasingly, sitting up slowly to put his arms around her. The memories flooded back, making him sober up for a moment before putting on a good face for his mother. "I'm fine, see? How are the others?"

"Annie and Z are quite happily reinstalled with their family," said Meg instantly with a smile. "And fit to burst with the news that Holly's going to have her sixth child…" 

Kenjou sat up straighter. "Another one?! Don't they have enough already, I mean you can only get so much free labor out of them. How could you possibly want six kids at one time…??"

"It's not always a matter of wanting as it is what fate wants for you," replied Meg with a grin. "And someday, I hope you'll have that many children and make me a happy grandparent, son."

"Yeah, yeah…what about the others?"

"Oh, you mean Seta and Kino?" asked Meg, nodding her head slowly. "Genki's given Seta, Kino, and the three girls enough supplies to get them to the next town and whatever coins he had on himself as well. Apparently they've had enough of the Spirit Realms, and while they wish us the best luck protecting the world they wish to leave as soon as possible."

"Understandable," said Kenjou with a slow nod. "Had I been forced to stay there as long as some of them did I'd probably choose the same thing."

"Yes, well…"

"Hello," said someone outside the doorway right then, stopping whatever it was Meg was going to tell her son. "Can I come in, Meg?"

"Hai, Annie," replied the older woman, rising slowly with a wink to her son. "Kenjou, Annie hasn't stopped asking about you since you got back. Did anything happen while you were there that you might want to tell me about?"

"Absolutely not," he replied with a sigh. "That girl is so infuriating sometimes, why can't she be more like her mom??"

"Why can't you be more like your Uncle?" Annie shot back. She bowed respectfully to Meg with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Hello, Meg-sama. Mum wanted to know if you could help her with some healing brew of hers?"

"If you'll stay here with Kenjou for me for awhile, yes," replied Meg, rising to her feet and leaving the two of them before either had a chance to reply. 

"Eh…hello," said Kenjou, giving her a slight grin as she sat herself beside his mat. They were inside one of the huts Genki had built, and Meg shared it with her son and siblings during the night hours. "So, how long was I out for?"

"Four days," replied Annie with a frown. "You…uh…had m-…us, I mean, worried there for awhile. Especially the way you just collapsed…your mom though you were dead."

"What would you say to that?" asked Kenjou out of the blue, crossing his legs to sit tailor-style across from her. 

"What do you mean?" replied Annie, feeling rather confused as well as a little nervous as he gave her a sly grin.

"I mean, what would you think if I had died?"

"Oh…" Annie paused, seeing the hopeful look in his eyes as she immediately turned on the defensive. "Hey!! Don't start thinking I'd go depressive or anything. Even if I did happen to be sad, it would be because there'd be no one else around other than Z to smack upside the head and I'd probably be more glad that there was one less baka to bother me anymore!"

"Hm, sure," said Kenjou with a superior look on his face.  He held his hands to his chest, a dazed look taking over his eyes. "You'd probably wilt away entirely and end up wasting your life away pining over my deceased body. Crying day after day beside my grave…"

Annie interrupted his speech with a sharp rap on the head. "Idiot…"

"Ouch!!"

"I was going to ask you what you were yelling about as we left the Spirit Realms," said Annie indifferently as she rose to her feet in a single, fluid motion. "But if you're going to keep on daydreaming about some poor girl pining over your dead body, perhaps it would be better if I left."

"No, wait!" said Kenjou quickly, catching hold of her wrist. "I probably need to thank you for something…"

Annie turned slowly. "For what?"

"Eh…" Kenjou scratched the back of his head, looking up at her nervously. "If you hadn't taken my hand and pulled me after you, I probably wouldn't have left at all…" His face fell as he remembered the look in the Guardian's eyes. "Firesprite…she never planned to come back with us, I think. And after we left, she did something to the portal so we couldn't come back either but I'm guessing the other creatures can't come here either. Her last words to me as you pulled be after you were to take care of you guys and that she was counting on me…" He felt his face flush as he omitted the one part, but didn't feel like taking a one-way ticket to outer space right then and left it at that.

"Counting on you for what?" mused Annie, sitting back down slowly as she rested her chin on the hand that he hadn't grabbed on to. 

He shrugged. "I don't know." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps to help protect someone…"

"AHHH!!!" Both young people were bowled over by a gray streak that whizzed into the hut, chased by another young woman waving a pot over her head. The two whirled around the room a few times then ran back out, leaving Annie and Kenjou lying there to stare at the ceiling in befuddlement. 

"…I'm feeling rather trampled, how about you?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

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Firesprite and her whirling blade were not at all to be messed with. Wave after wave of foot soldiers from the camp trying to prove their worth broke upon her uselessly and were scattered like chaff in the wind. Her wings fully extended, horns extending from her forehead, and her eyes glowing a brilliant red her gaze froze warriors on their tracts and made even the most brave trembled in fear.

She was Firesprite, Guardian of the Living, and someone had made the mistake of making her very, very mad.

Next came the fighting beasts and lesser demons, in fewer numbers but with greater power and she was pressed slightly to beat them back from the portal. Not that it mattered, it was sealed permanently for the time being, but she intended to take quite a few of these lovely fellows down before she even considered allowing herself to be captured. Escape was not an option, she had to do everything in her power to neutralize the portal as long as she could, and the closer she was to it the easier it would be.

The higher ones replaced the lesser demons, and only after she'd either beaten back or killed those did the one she was looking for come forwards.

"Keitaro," she said steadily, looking at him calmly though she was breathing heavily and had shallow wounds inflicted in many places across her body. They bled freely, for she couldn't afford to heal herself when the majority of it had been used to seal the portal and now she would need what was left to keep herself alive. "I thought I smelled your foul stench the moment I entered the camp…"

"Ah, my ever wonderful counterpart," said Keitaro with a nod in her direction. "So tell me, how does it feel to know you're about to die?"

"I could ask you the same question," replied Firesprite with a devious grin. "Do you recognize this?" She tossed a scrap of cloth at him, saturated in a dull black substance. 

Keitaro raised his brows in surprise, fingering a set of teeth marks on his wrist that hadn't been there before. "That's what I used to mop up my blood when that little savage bit me while I was trying to question her…" His eyes flew to the seal, taking it in slowly. "Very clever, Firesprite, I commend your quick thinking as well as your courage for doing such a thing. Now I can't kill you without killing myself, and only both our deaths will break the seal. Still, I believe you have made one miscalculation…"

He brought his hands together, chanting a few words before blasting her with a solid beam of power. The Guardian didn't even try to fight it, merely shielding herself as she acknowledged the fact that it was over for now.

"It's left you too weak to even protect yourself," admonished Keitaro with a grin as he walked to her side and hit her over the head with the flat of his blade. Hauling up her limp body, he triumphantly threw her over his shoulder and took her to the giant tree stump where the chains where. Putting the chains on her himself, she was left to lie in the place where the prisoners had once stayed in their place. With his power as a safeguard on each of the locks, and one of his collars around her neck, she wouldn't be going anywhere or doing anything without his permission for sometime. 

"I hope you enjoy your new home," he gloated victoriously. "But don't get too comfortable. The new Destroyer of All shall want to have something done to punish you for such an act after he realizes we've captured you. Especially after closing off his portal, he shall not be happy with you in the least."

"I doubt he'd be happy to see me regardless," murmured Firesprite as she succumbed to the growing darkness around her. Keitaro just laughed, staring down at his prize as the maniacal bursts of victory rolled over the camp evilly.

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Ok, there's your chapter eight. I know it's only half as long as the one before, but it is a chapter and you should be happy to be getting more than one at a time!! ^_^ 

Please review, I do enjoy getting comments from you guys… *sniff* And it makes me feel so loved… ^_~ Comments or suggestions almost always appreciated.

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	9. 

*Sings Love Hina song before realizes others are there* OH!! ^_^;  Here's Chapter 9! Almost there, now, as our wonderful saga begins its end. Thanks to those who reviewed, though I wish there were more of you I am happy just to get a few every now and then. ^__^ And on with the show...

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Allen clung to the side of the mountain with his arms and legs spread as far as they would go, wondering just where in the world he found find his next hand or toe hold. Carefully balancing himself on one foot, he slowly leaned in and found a foothold in the middle and up a little where he'd been, pushing himself up from there and reaching as high as he could with the hand that was lower...

Inch by inch, foot by foot, it took him what seemed forever to grasp the top edge with his fingertips and haul himself over to the top. Though his legs wobbled under him slightly from the strenuous climb, the new Guardian of All dusted his hands off on his pants and gasped for breath, taking out his water skin and drinking most of what he had left when he realized something.

He had reached the summit of the mountain. And there was nothing, absolutely nothing in sight. There were some boulders spaced out along the top every few feet, and lots of ice and snow which continued to fall from the sky, but no palace as he'd been told about that he could see. 

Allen shivered and pulled his cape around himself tightly, trying to block out the ever present winds. When he'd been climbing he'd hardly felt the cold at all, and in fact had been sweating at one point, but now with the sun down and him standing still every chill that he had managed to evade before now came back with a vengeance as his body began to shiver violently. The boulders on the far side, he finally decided, would provide him more protection from the wind and he slowly began to trundle across the peak.

Step after step, each one seemed to make the ground creak and crack underfoot, though he was sure there was nothing but solid rock there. That is until he stepped on the very center and fell through completely, the ground giving way to a pitch black nothing that seemed to envelope him in its nothingness. 

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The Winter King sat regally upon his throne, attendants there waiting upon his every whim and wish. Courtiers milled in the natural patterns of the court floor below, talking and exchanging gossip among one another as was custom. Stroking the icicles that hung from his face in place of a beard, he surveyed them all with ice-colored eyes that, somehow, burned with a ring of fire about the pupil. His robes were of a silvery blue that matched his eyes, thick folds of fine silk cascading down him in what seemed to be an eternally frozen waterfall. His sky pale as death itself and streaked with bright blue veins, he looked more dead that alive and most probably would have presumed such if it had not been for the fact it was obvious he was breathing aware of everything about himself.

The room was lit with fires in stone cups along the walls, his skylights being covered by the latest blizzard that blew through the mountain. There he glanced, an expectant look upon his face all of a sudden.

"Your majesty!" said a guard who entered quickly and pressed his way through the crowds, dressed in a blue livery with the pattern of icicles and snow flakes apparent everywhere. He knelt on one knee before the stone throne upon which the Winter King sat, his right fist held to his chest in a salute. "There is one who wanders the mountain, my lord. Should we chase him off?"

"No," replied the King with a half smile, closing his eyes suddenly as if in deep though. "I'm expecting him to arrive any moment now..."

*CRASH*

"AHHH!!"

Everyone scattered as a form fell through the roof oh so high above them, bits of ice and glass falling as well. Circling up in a ball, it hit the ground and rolled, everyone wincing from the sound of the flesh impacting with solid stone.

"Ergm..."

"Greets, Stranger," said the King as he rose slowly, his robes trailing alone behind him as he walked towards the person with a slow, dignified walk of one who never had to hurry. "I trust you are still alive?"

"I notice you didn't add 'and well' on the end of that," replied Allen slowly, still lying there staring up at the ceiling. "Where am I, though?"

"I thought that would be obvious, as you just fell through my roof and straight into my court," replied the King, a hint of steel creeping into his voice. "Something those of us here don't take lightly. However, you are in my Royal Court, and I am the King of Ice and Winter." Allen quickly rose to his feet and dusting himself off from the snow and ice that stuck to his clothes, bowing to the King respectfully with a hint of red on his cheeks. 

"Uh....my deepest apologies," he said while doing so, one of the remote corners of his mind noting how warm he was even with the large hole in the roof above him. "I didn't know that there was a hole there, sire, and had I known of an easier entrance than the one I found I surely would've taken it with pleasure." He winced at those last words, feeling his back twinge painfully from his fall.

"You are forgiven, but you still have a debt to repay now," replied the King, turning from him and walking back towards his throne. "You are now bonded to me as one of my Courtiers, and shall never set foot outside of this mountain castle of mine again unless you wish to die." He sat down gracefully and waved his hand to the guards, who came and took either arm, obviously dismissing him from his presence.

"What...?! Wait a second, I can't do that!" Allen fought against the guards, firmly planting his feet as he faced the King. "Your Majesty, I am Allen, the new Guardian of All! I came seeking the Crown and it I shall find and return to save the Mortal and Spirit Realms from another Age of Darkness. You must let me through!"

"I cannot," said the King in a bored voice, giving him the look of a man tired of being pestered. "You broke into my home, and now you must stay here forever, those are the rules...."

"A boon, then!" cried Allen. "Give me any task, ask me anything, and if I cannot complete it or give you an answer, you will have my life as you wished. If I can, though, you will let me go free to search for the Crown that I might continue my quest!"

The King considered his words carefully, toying with an icicle in his hands. After several moments he nodded, the guards releasing him and going back to their spots on the wall. "Very well, oh Guardian of All. The fight of the Realms, both Spirit and Mortal, affects me not as Ice and Winter shall always remain. But, here is your task, one of my own design. Shinobi!" 

A short, thick limbed dwarf came thumping from among the courtiers, his fine clothes looking slightly ridiculous on him even though they fit him perfectly with a small, bejeweled knife that served as a sword at his side. He knelt before the king, giving the fist salute. He barely came up to Allen's waist when he stood upright, the human marveling at him in surprise as the dwarf spoke. "You called, sire?"

"Ah, yes." The King stroked his beard again and smiled and odd, little smile. "Allen, your task is to fight Shinobi here in any manner you wish except for with the weapons you bare on your back. To make it fair, Shinobi will disarm as well, leaving him with his fists alone. You may begin when ready."

Allen promptly removed his sword, shield, and pack, laying them carefully to the side before sizing up the little man once again, who laid his weapon aside as well. Both stood there for several moments, just staring at each other.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Shinobi, effectively breaking the silence. Allen just shrugged. "Trying to think of a sly remark to make, perhaps a crack upon my short stature?"

"No, I'm just not sure how to fight such a...miniature warrior as yourself," admitted Allen, going out of his stance to stare at Shinobi quizzically. 

"Then, you will not remark upon my remarkable size?" asked the dwarf suspiciously. "Or lack of it?"

"Your King must have good reason to put yourself out, for apparently my transgression is one large enough to require my imprisonment here forever," explained Allen, spreading his arms wide. "Therefore, it leaves one to wonder just what tricks you might have up your sleeve, for looks have nothing to do with a fighter's abilities. Perhaps it is not tricks at all, though, but just pure strength, speed, and experience that would make you a remarkable and talented warrior to the point that your King would match you against one such as myself, who is twice your size. He obviously wishes for you to win, but perhaps my taunts would not dishearten you, but instead would strengthen you another thousand times than before? So why bother when the chances of it sending you into a killing rage are about the same as making you feel weak enough to let me beat you? I, for one, wish to leave alive, with my body intact and the Crown on my head."

"He just beat me with words!" exclaimed Shinobi as he sat down hard, the whole dialogue having gone by him so fast that he couldn't make sense of it in the least. "I can't make heads nor tails of what he just rattled off! Sire, how can I win against one who can talk my head in circles?!"

"You can't." The King shrugged, an amused light in his eyes as he shooed the dwarf back to his place among the crowds. "Very impressive, Guardian. Most have taunted our Shinobi with results that were less than pleasant for all involved. You have done well, though. For that, you may have your life back. You may leave as soon as you see fit."

"But..." Allen buckled the sword to his side and hesitated. "What about the Crown?"

"You mean the Guardian's Crown of power?" replied the King in a nonchalant way. "I have it here, yes. Where it is safe from harm."

"I need it," said Allen challengingly, staring down the King though those ice eyes chilled him to the very marrow of his bones. "For the future of the Guardians as well as both Realms."

"I told you, realms do not concern me," replied the King lightly with a shrug. "You amuse me no longer, Guardian. Be gone before I go back on my word!"

"Being Guardian of All is the same as being King of All within the Spirit and Mortal Realms, one of which you happen to abide in!" thundered Allen, a power seeming to overcome him as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the King. "Therefore, King of Ice and Winter, you are under me, and I am your Guardian! Give me the Crown!"

The King stood slowly, a hush falling over the entire hall as he strode down the steps slowly, an unreadable expression on his face. Towering above Allen, he unsheathed the blade of ice at his side and held it high, drawing himself up even more. Allen held his own blade at ready, grimly determined to face the Ice and Winter king no matter what the cost. 

The King then smiled and knelt, swinging the blade around so it pointed hilt first towards Allen. "My liege. I wasn't sure, you understand, for there have been imposters in the past...it is truly you. I present you my blade as my oath to serve you always, and the Crown as a token of my own." Allen accepted the blade, putting his own back in his sheath as he studied it. The hilt was covered in a white leather, extending for several inches so he could grip it with both hands. The pommel was of a crystal with a blue glow, and the blade itself was tinted the same color. The Crown the King removed from his own head and offered it to Allen, who took of his circlet and placed the two together before it went back upon his head, the final piece of his quest found and in place.

"I accept both your blade and the Crown," said Allen warmly, urging the King to stand. "Thank you, King of Ice and Winter."

"And thank you, my liege," replied the King with a bow. "My guards will show you the way out. Speed and strength for your body, courage and faith for your soul, for you shall need it all in the final battle."

"I will remember that," promised Allen as he was led out the door, saluting the King once with a fist to his chest, the King doing it back with pride. "Until we meet again!"

"Yes." The King smiled, his silver locks of ice-riddled hair sparkling in the sunlight that suddenly fell through the hole in the roof. "Until we meet again."

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A dull, red haze seemed to fill Firesprite's blurred vision, her body propped up by sometime hard and rough behind her. Ears ringing whenever she even thought about turning her head, she was content to stay still and wait for things to clear up, her body slowly coming afire with pain as it sluggishly awakened back to life.

Shifting her hands to push her bangs from her eyes, it was stopped halfway there and she looked down, seeing a shackle around her wrist with a chain that was attached to the wall behind her. Testing her other limbs, she found one around her other wrist, ankles, and neck as well, all hindering her from any movement other than a foot in any direction. Testing her strength against them she felt herself entirely zapped of any at all, barely able to even lift the leaden limbs period.

"Great..."

"You're awakened, wonderful," hissed her guard, a creature that resembled a frog in its webbed hands and feet and hunched over way it stood there before her. Nothing was frog-like in it's purple, intelligent eyes though. Grasping a short spear in it's webbed hands, its slimy skin was reflected in the torches that surrounded them, casting eerie shadows about the room. "Master will be so pleased..."

"Where am I?" asked Firesprite groggily, her tongue thick and swollen in her dry mouth. "What have you done to me?"

"You are at Master's castle," explained the slimy creature with sly glee, obviously excited about something. "And Master has merely bestowed some of his power on you to insure you are not an uncooperative guest while you are here. You should be honored that he spent any time on you at all, for Master is very selective with those whom he deems some of his powers upon!"

"Who is this blasted 'master' you keep refereeing too?!" demanded the woozy Guardian, leaning back up against the wall as her head began to throb again, making it hard for her to focus. "And what the heck am I here for?!" Her memories of the last few days were still very scattered, and she had no idea just what was going on.

"Master has not told you?" inquired the amphibious beast with a hideous grin. He ignored the first question entirely. "Then I shall enlighten you, oh yes I shall!" He hopped closer to her, leering as he leaned in slightly as if he knew she could not even touch him if she wished to. "Master is luring his greatest enemy, the Greatest of the Cursed Ones, here with your presence! How he knows such things is beyond a mere follower like myself, but you are the bait that will set the trap that will spring upon the Great Cursed One and bring about the Dark Ages were Master shall be the Ruler of All!! This is a most glorious day and age we live in indeed!!"

Firesprite snorted. "I don't know about that..."

The door suddenly groaned open, the creature springing back to his post and going to a rigid salute. Or as rigid as such a oozing, flabby creature ever got. "Master!"

"The prisoner is awake?" asked a high voice, much higher than Firesprite ever expected. From the way the...thing has spoken his master was a great and powerful lord, but what she heard likened more to that of a young woman...

A shadow fell over her face, a small hand forcing her head up to stare into a pair of cold, black eyes that burned with an insane, intense rage. If Firesprite was surprised at the appearance of her captor, she did not show it, her mind too engaged with the struggle to remain conscious after having her head jerked about like that. 

The small boy stepped back, grinning wickedly as he rubbed his hands together with childish glee and giggled. "Hehe!! Oh, it's all set! It's gonna be fun, getting rid of that sucker and then ruling over everything once again!"

"Master is truly a wise and cruel being," said the guard-creature with adoration apparent in his voice. "To have such a Master makes me most pleased..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Enough of that gibberish, you know how much I hate it when 'adults' patronize me. They think they're so smart... " The small boy flipped his black curls out of his eyes and glanced around, reaching for a sucker from the jar of them that sat on the table and sucking on it while he studied his prisoner further. "Well, I'll show them! I'll show all of them, just you wait and see..."

"Oh yes, Master, you shall surely show them what sort of respect you truly deserve!" crooned the creature.

"I said shaddup!" The little boy whirled around, a blaze of power erupting around him to nearly engulf the being. 

"...yes Master." It slunk away quickly, ducking through the door and disappearing down the hall at a frenzied pace. While it certainly adored the little brat, it wasn't about to stick around when he was in one of his moods. 

"Morons." The boy turned back to Firesprite, giving her a few moments to study him more thoroughly as he did the same to her. Black eyes and black ringlets of hair are what truly stood out on his face, contrasting with his pale skin. Around 9 or so, he still have the rounded cheeks of a young child and small frame from not hitting any real growth spurts yet. Had she been standing he would have barely come up to her chest, and had it not been for the eerie glow in his eyes of pure hate and anger she would have assumed he was just another child living in the cities she protected in the Mortal Realms. 

He was clad in a black shirt and scarlet tunic, both made of fine linen with gold flame embroidery. His black hose went to a set of high boots of black leather, everything made exactly to his size with not a thread out of place. A sword hung at his side and another blade of red iron on his back, a shield hanging there as well and a silver circlet over a plain iron crown on his head. 

The boy suddenly reached out and wiped something on Firesprite's arm right where she had a long scratch, grinning mercilessly as she jerked from the sudden pain that shot up and down her arm. 

"Bloodbane," he said lightly as by way of explanation, pulling a small pot from behind his back. "Wonderful stuff. It will make sure your wound stays open and bleeding at least slightly, though it won't allow it to bleed you to death, and it has the interesting side effect of keeping you alive without food or water. Perfect for visitors that you don't want around but can't get rid of quite yet."

"Little brat," ground Firesprite, the room seemingly whirling around her as she attempted to block out the pain. "Shouldn't you be off playing with your toys somewhere, boy?"

"That's Master to you," he replied happily, kicking her foot which was already twisted at an odd angle. She moaned in pain, him taking pleasure in it the whole time. "And you are my new toy. Now I'm playing with you. Do you enjoy it as nearly much as I do?"

Firesprite wheezed, barely able to breath she was in so much pain. "I doubt it..."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't really care if you enjoy it or not." The boy took some more of the stuff he'd rubbed on her before and this time added it to her facial scrapes, giggling all the while. "I'm having fun regardless."

"Get away from me!" Firesprite lashed out as best she could, snapping with her jaws as she tried to transform herself into her Guardian body. It failed, though, and she was left sitting there as exhausted as before, the boy dancing around her tauntingly.

"Big bad Guardian can't do nothing now, can she? Neh!!" He stuck his tongue out at her and pulled down the bottom of his eye, Firesprite gaining several veins on her forehead up unable to do anything at all.

"Get lost."

The boy pouted. "You're no fun." He sighed and shrugged. "Oh well, I have other toys I'd rather play with anyways." He grabbed her chin and took a cup from the table, forcing her to drink it or drown in its contents. Immediately she felt herself go limp and the pain go away, as well as her vision slowly starting to darken. "I will come and see you later, my new toy, and when I do I shall have other, more fun things for you to be a part of..."

"Don't...want....to..." slurred Firesprite, her head growing heavy as she slumped back against the wall again. 

"Oh, that's too bad." The boy smiled, the malicious look in his eyes the last thing she remembered seeing. "Because you don't have a choice."

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Holly woke inside her hut, hearing several voices that she was sure hadn't been there the night before. Dressing quickly, she looked outside and was greeted with a rather large group of monsters and humans, many who came to greet her immediately.

"Holly!!!" The woman was nearly knocked over by the two tongues that washed her face, making her laugh as she pushed the two overgrown pups down. 

"Temi, Ice, you made me a slobbery!" she protested as she wiped her face on her sleeve, patting them both warmly. "Sillies." 

"We're just glad to see you," replied Ice smartly, nuzzling her side affectionately. Tiger and Storm appeared as well, each accept a hug from the human who gladly embraced them both. 

"Tiger! Storm! Why are you guys here?" she asked, seeing several other tigers from their pack roaming about the camp.

"We came at Zephyr's call," explained Tiger as Storm shooed their pups back to their friends, even though the two were now young adults in their own right. "Something about trouble and needing our help." He sat slowly, wincing as his joints creaked. "We may not be as young as we used to be, but we're here to help regardless."

Holly smiled at them both, bowing. "Thank you."

Storm cocked her head to the side, smiling as well. "Anything for the protectors of our home." She pointed to Holly's pendant, which lay out of her shirt. 

Holly sighed. "I just hope we're enough to protect it this time as well."

"Hey, we weren't given these pretty stones for nothing," retorted Pixie who came up behind her, a wry look on her face. 

"Pixie, you too??" Holly gave her a hug, the pixie lightly accepting it with a sigh. 

"Yeah, me and Blue got the call a few days ago, and came as fast as we could." She pointed to the blue Ice giant who sat by the fire among some others. "When Zeph wants you somewhere he fast he makes sure to enough motivation to do so. We're here for the long run, not matter what that long run may entail."

"We're glad to have you, as always," replied Holly meaningfully, biting her lip as the pixie just shrugged it off with a nod, walking back towards her friend.

"She never did take well to emotion," murmured Frost who had come up where the tiger family had stood before, Slip right at his side. The two gels now stood at exactly the same height, Slip looking like a younger version of his hero whom he traveled with plus the pendant that hung around his neck.

"Neither did you, old fart," retorted Slip, skipping out of the way as Frost aimed a side smack at him. "Missed me again, slow po- OW!!" He rubbed his rear which had taken on a sneak attach from Frost's other hand, the older gel just shrugging. 

"You should have been ready for it. You know better than to assume everyone is always going to fight fair," he rebuked the younger gel, raising and eyebrow slightly. "Someone is getting lazy..."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that when the fight starts," shot back Slip, turning to Holly. "Hey Holly! Long time no see!"

"You've grown since I last saw you," commented Holly, accepting a hand shake from both gels. "And you haven't changed a bit, Frost. I take it Zephyr sent you all calls as well?"

"Only one, since we were together at the time," replied Frost with a shrug. "We were far south of here and have been thankfully making good time back. Met up with Pixie halfway and went the rest of it with her and Blue."

Holly nodded, noticing just how much more relaxed the gel had gotten just in his few years with Slip as his companion. "Well, thank you for coming."

"We will fight for our Realm," Slip said confidently as if to assure her, the both of them moving off to wear food was being served and her following at a slower pace.

"Holly-chan!!" Holly was nearly inline when she was knocked over by a whirlwind of a human, the younger woman squeezing the life out of her with a huge hug. "Hollyhollyholly!! We were so worried when you didn't come back right away!!"

"Coltia!!" wheezed Holly in surprise. "Coltia...can't breath..."

"Oh!! Sorry..." She let go quickly, Holly sinking to the ground as she caught her breath. A man came beside Coltia and gave her a scolding look, her blushing lightly as she tucking some hair behind her ear. "I didn't mean to, really!!"

"I know." Holly rose again, greeting Haikaru, her husband, with bow which he returned as well. "Were you the only ones to come from the village, or are there others as well??"

"Like we'd ever let you run off without us again," came a crotchety old voice behind her, Holly turning to see Pinkeye standing there with her children and older grandchildren, all fit and ready to do battle. "Hey, sugar. There's others from the village, too, some of the young men with their spears and swords, but they're over away from all these legend monsters that scare them..." She said the last part a little loudly in Pixie's direction.

"I do not scare them!" argued Pixie, a vein appearing on her head. "I've done nothing to deserve that accusation!!"

"She scares me," admitted Haikaru, sweating nervously as he began to back away. Coltia did too, a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Yeah...uh...we'll catch you later, Holly."

"Ok, bye guys."

"Bye."

"Do to, you just scared them away," taunted Pinkeye as she hopped over to Pixie's side, the two arguing back and forth loud enough that most of the camp could hear it.

"Holly!!" yelled Meg, jogging over with a smile on her face. "Looks like someone finally decided to wake up..."

Holly blushed. "Yeah, well, we were busy last night..." Meg just winked, Holly turning a few shades redder before Meg just laughed and went on with what she had to say. "Anyway, I just came to say the rest of the Clan has arrived. Most of the cousins from our family are here with their monsters and ready to make a stand, as well as some of the fighting creatures from the valley Allen inherited from Lilianne."

"Any tribreeds among them?" asked Holly quickly.

"No, they all died out a generation ago," replied Meg regretfully. "But still, there's a large assortment of others who will gladly give their lives to save both Allen and Lili so I think we'll be fine regardless. Genki did a count this morning, and here's what it comes to. 50 monsters of assorted types, plus Pixie and Slip who are really more than monsters. Around 35-40 humans plus you and Genki, who aren't entirely human because of the pendant thingy...yeah. And Zephyr. So that gives us nearly a hundred beings here willing to fight and the majority with some sort of battle experience...what do you think?"

"I think we'll manage," replied Holly steadily, tearing apart the bread she'd been given by one of the others and eating it bit by bit. "Because we have to."

"We've done it before, and we'll do it again?" Meg looked at the camp, noting the strain under the happy faces, the stress of knowing something was going to happen, just not what per say or when.

"Exactly."

Zephyr and Zelda suddenly took their place on a boulder above the camp, everyone falling silent at the Guardian of the Wynds began to speak.

"I thank you all for coming here, especially on such short notice as well as with the conditions behind it all," he started slowly, Zelda sitting still as a statue behind him. "Here's how our situation stands, as I know some of you have been asking. Firesprite placed a blood seal on the portal when the young ones came through, one that would last for three days. That was two days ago. Right now, we don't know where she is nor what has happened to her. Neither does anyone know the whereabouts of Allen, but we're hoping to find both well and alive when it opens again."

"Tomorrow at dawn the portal will open and on the other side is an army that plans on invading and enslaving the Mortal Realm. Even if our Guardian of All does come through and defeats their Destroyer of All, if they have a good enough hold here it will be near impossible to chase them back to the other side before they do massive amounts of damage. What we're asking you to do is tomorrow at dawn, when the portal's seal is broken, to defend this position and keep their armies back from invading our home lands. Will you help us??"

A huge yell erupted from the group, most waving their weapons over head and cheering until Zephyr raised a paw, quite settling over them once more. 

"I had hoped you would respond as such," he said quite simply, looking to where the portal was in the rock face. "Humans are to take orders from Genki, monsters to Zelda. If you have trained in a human/monster coupling come see me instead. We have a lot of work to do, so let's do it right. Who wants to save the Mortal Realms?"

**_"WE DO!!"_**

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Hm...not my best work, I think, but it'll do. Sorry for the delay, I wasn't home for a month that then school started so...you'll live. Next update should be much sooner, so don't forget to watch for it! Review, it's the kind thing to do!

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	10. 

Second to last chapter!! AH!! *sniffles* it's almost over...wonder how it's gonna end...guess you'll have to read on to find out! ^_^;;

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Firesprite came to her senses again only as the day began to dawn, the sudden light of the sun breaking over the Spirit Realms quickly bringing her thoughts in focus. 

_'It's the third day...'****_

Slowly she lifted her head, , wincing as the light struck her bleary eyes. Soon, very soon, the portal's seal would be shattered and the Dark Armies would cross the barrier between the two realms and begin their invasion. 

And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it either.

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Allen lay on his back at the bottom of the mountain, wrapping securely in his cloak as his head twitched slightly from his dreams. Eyes turning to and fro under their lids, he learned something he'd never thought to know about the circular chunk of ice that adorned his head...

*Allen's dream* __

_A huge sheet of ice rose before him, the clouds racing over head and the sun rising and falling all within a matter of moments as time passed in a blur so fast he couldn't tell the difference between day and night. _

_The horizon itself began to glow as he turned from the ice, facing the plain that had been at his back. The ground sudden shook and he felt himself being hurtled through space, though his feet stayed on the same  bit of ground as they'd been on before._

_'Long ago...' said a voice in the back ground as two vast kingdoms came into view. 'There was only One Realm. One Realm ruled by two Kings who sought to rule their kingdoms wisely together. As chance would have it, they were brothers, and they loved each other very much. Because there was no distinction between mortals and spirits, Guardians and Destroyers ranged the land as free beings and battled each other against all odds. To aid the Kings in their Quest to help the Guardians rid themselves of the Destroyers, one was granted the power of Ice. The other was granted the power of Fire.'_

_Allen saw all this as the narration continued, the two Kings standing side by side, one dressed in ice blue and the other in a brilliant scarlet, each representing the powers that had been given to them. Flashes of Guardians and Destroyers of Old flew past him, some looking vaguely familiar and others creatures he'd never seen before in his life. The Story continued, more images flashing across the two Kingdoms in front of him._

_'With time the Destroyers were demolished, both Kings celebrating with feasts and holidays that lasted for days,. Years of Peace followed, a Golden Age where all could live and prosper as one. Both of the Kings grew old and died eventually, passing on their Kingdoms and powers to the generation after them.'_

_'Unfortunately, four generations after the King of Fires passed away, his great-grandson had first born twins, both of equal abilities and merit. Wishing to be fair, he granted them a joint rule over the Kingdom that they might split it evenly between the two.' Allen saw the cousins, to black-haired little boys with mischievous grins. 'One of the twins, however, wished to rule the Kingdom for himself alone and as he planned for a way to make it happen he was approached by a bent over elder whom he'd never seen before. The man told the boy he could have his heart's desire if he'd only swear allegiance with the Destroyers rather than the Guardians. "Fire is meant to demolish, to burn to pure ash, not to preserve!" the elder had argued, quickly convincing the young man to do as he'd suggested. To secure with the Destroyer's his oath to help them always, he created a crown for their Leader of his own powers, one which would enhance the wearer's far beyond what he could normally accomplish.'_

_The new Guardian of All watched as the other twin was brutally murdered and the first was named King of the land, then turning his Kingdom over to the Destroyers along with the Crown he'd made. _

_The narration continued. 'Word of this quickly spread to the King of Ice, who declared the King of Fire was a traitor and a murderer, creating a Crown of power as well for his own Guardians, who needed it to battle the stronger Destroyers. The mortals were caught between the raging battles of the two sides, unable to defend themselves against such awesome and mighty beings.' _

_'The King of Ice felt compassion for his people and bound his soul to that of an ice mountain with his power, using that which was left to create a portal to another Realm which he created, one that would host mortal souls only. Many from both countries fled to the other side, only those most loyal to their Kings and Masters remaining behind. The King of Fire, who must always mirror the actions of his counterpart, was banished to a volcano in his lands, unable to ever leave its confines as the King of Ice was locked in his own Mountain of Ice.'_

_'Time passed, and the Guardians managed to push down the uprising of the Destroyers, once again securing the fate of the Mortal Realms, as they'd come to be called, for another thousand years. Six Guardians of All have lived and died since then, only one failing to win and casting both Realms into an Age of Darkness, when monsters like Moo ruled both Realms and humans and monsters alike suffered and died until the Destroyer's rule could be challenged once again.'_

_The voice fell silent, Allen taking all of it in as the images faded away back into the plains itself. _

_'Now is it your turn, Allen, Guardian of All.' The suddenness of those words startled the man, who looked up as they resonated around him. 'Are you ready...?'_

_*End Dream*_

Allen sat up quickly as those words resounded in his head. 'Are you ready...are you ready...?' Standing, he stretched his muscles and gathered his things, packing quickly and leaving half of it behind under that tree before he started out at a run. Carrying only his weapons and a bit of food and water, he flew over the ground faster than his legs had ever carried him before. The time was now, and soon he'd be facing the toughest challenge in his entire life. 

He was ready.

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The little boy stood beside the portal, palms outstretched towards it as his forces ringed it twenty and thirty creatures deep on all sides. Light began to appear in cracks as he concentrated along the surface, the stains of blood from the original seal being seared away from the sheer power the boy was pouring onto it. Cracking thunderously, it's surface shattered and a hazy rip in space was left in its place, showing fleeting bits and parts of the Mortal Realm. 

"HA! Told ya I could do it," said the boy cockily, waving his hand in an arrogant manner as he headed back over to his  'guests' side, where he'd transported her earlier. "Get in there and get spread out! With the power I've given you and the numbers the captains have been given I want every area at least barely keeping up with the pressure we're putting on them in the Northern Continent by nightfall. What are you waiting for, get going!!" 

A crush of bodies headed for the portal, demons and lesser evil spirits rushing for the portal to prove their loyalty to their Master, even in their own deaths. 

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Holly worked along side others as they tore down the shelters and stacked the logs and slats along natural rises and dips in the land, creating mini forts here and there that could be used as cover during the battle ahead. Dousing the few fires that were left and hiding the majority of their force in the forest behind them, everything went still as it took on the feeling of long abandonment that it had had before.

Thankfully, several others had arrived that night as well, boosting their numbers up over 200. Monsters and humans alike that Zephyr had called on to rectify past debts, many were present that Holly and Genki hadn't seen for years but who were more than willing to lay down their life in the name of saving their realm.

"How are you feeling?" asked Kenjou as he took his place beside Annie among the archers, both also armed with swords in case they were needed on the ground as well.

"...well enough." Her face was drawn and worry had furrowed her brow. "I'm not so much scared as I am nervous...mom and dad are out in the front, and while I know they've beaten back the odds before I've never been in battle like this with them. I worry about them..."

"They'll be fine," whispered Kenjou, giving her hand a quick squeeze before he settled himself more comfortably on his branch. "They weren't made Phoenix Guardians for nothing, you know."

"I know..."

Zephyr stood before the portal in the lead, his winds whipping about him angrily as they felt his wrath and anger at the battle to come and took that same feeling upon themselves. Genki, Pixie, Holly, and Slip took their place behind him in an arch, each already transformed through the power of their pendants and waiting expecting for the inevitable clash of forces to come. 

Genki stood to the far right wearing his green shirt and pants with gold trim, green and gold gauntlets covering his arms and his boots a dark brown with gold edging. His Tai chi sword with the pendent in the hilt was already drawn and held at the ready, the occasional flutter of the tassel in the wind the only sign that he wasn't a statue of sorts. 

Holly stood beside him with her hair full of random braids and feathers as usual, her scarlet kimono with it's gold obi and phoenix prints shining in the rising sun behind them. A fan she'd acquired awhile ago was held in her right hand, slightly unfurled to show the gold and red birds that flew across it.

Pixie was next, arms crossed over her chest as her wings twitched from the tension they bore for waiting so long. Her clothes were the same dark pink as always, this time a top with one long sleeve slit from the elbow down and one with no sleeve at all, that arm having the silver armband that held her pendent. Her pink skirt went from her waist to the ground, slit at different intervals from the knees down to allow for more movement. With an elegant dagger in each hand that Blue had given her, she was ready for anything.

Slip held down the other end on the left, standing with his feet apart and his short sword drawn. His gel armor had grown with him, the same dark blue with his silver center showing and his pendent right in the center of it below his chin. His shield was on his arm and ready as well, his helmet's visor already pulled over his eyes. All he needed now was a few demons to sink his dirk in to.

By the way the portal was beginning to shimmer, the gel warrior would soon get his wish. 

"Are the archer's ready?" asked Zephyr, still standing facing the portal in front of the others.

"Yes," replied Holly calmly, furling her fan with a snap. "And waiting for your signal."

"Good."

The sky suddenly burst with bright lights, other beings landing among them with grim, determined looks on their faces. One of them, a silver dragon that shone like the sun itself in the coming light, landed beside their leader gracefully. "We have come, Wyndcatcher," he rumbled deep in his throat, the very ground beneath them shaking from it.

Zephyr acknowledged them, the wolf-like creature motioning for them to stand on the outsides of the arch that was already formed. "As I knew you would, Starhunter. Thank you." The dragon nodded, then winked roguishly, the Guardian of the Wynds grinning back despite himself. Starhunter went to the right beside Genki, Tintaro going with him while Ophelia took the left. The twins stood directly in the middle, Tris and Chris each one step behind Wyndcatcher.

"We won't be pushed to the back," growled Chris as Wyndcatcher glanced back at them in puzzlement. Seeing the dangerous gleam in the other Guardian's eyes, he just nodded his consent. 

There was a loud *crack* as the seal was shattered and a huge dog-like creature stuck it's head out, seeing Zephyr standing there like a Warrior of sorts with the four Phoenix Guardians at his back and the five Guardians interspersed among them as well. It stood a head taller than the Guardian of the Wynds, sniffing with distain as it took in the lone tiger-breed with wings and his seemingly small troop . 

"Stand down, Guardian!" he thundered, stepping fully out of the portal and growling at him menacingly. "This is the age of Darkness! All those who oppose us will be killed!"

Zephyr bared his teeth and growled back. "I don't think so." Shifting his right paw the archers saw the cue and let loose a hail of arrows, slaying the demonic beast instantly, others tumbling through after him to help defend the portal as they realized they were under attack. The two sides flowed towards each other like rivers going opposite directions, meeting in a clash at the center where they swirled and mixed in amongst each other until there was no distinct boundary between the two. Bodies from both sides lay everywhere, and it was impossible to tell who was the enemy and who was not from a distance. 

Annie watched with Kenjou at her side, automatically reloading and shooting her bow over and over again like she had been taught though a sick feeling grew more and more in the pit of her stomach with every kill that she made. 

Hearing something behind her, she swung around in time to duck under the spear that had been thrust at her head, a soldier from the other realm standing across from her on the braches on the others side of the tree. 

"Jump!" yelled Kenjou as he threw an empty quiver at the man, sliding down the tree quickly as Annie grabbed her own quiver and leapt after him. Landing side by side on the ground, they were quickly enveloped into the fray and lost from sight. Both drew their blades and fought back to back, their minds numb with fear and death and their sole wish to make it out alive.

Holly shielded the group from overhead attacks and took the brunt of the Destroyer's energy beams upon herself, darting through the melee as well to heal those whom she came upon that were wounded. Still, there were far more wounded than she alone could handle and more than one of theirs died because there was no one there to save them.

Genki and Slip charged side by side among the higher demons, twin silver arches flashing simultaneously to demolish their enemies. Both were hard pressed to keep up with the flow that came from the portal, but they battled on tirelessly, determined to do their best for their people.

Tiger fought among his fellow tigers as proudly as any of them, his mate Storm right along side him the whole time. Fangs flashing, claws slashing, lightning zapping, they warred with the other units of humans and monsters that came through and fought as one in their pack. Their numbers began to whittle down, each new group that came through pushing them farther and farther beyond their limits as a group. Still, they never gave up and committed themselves to the death for the cause which some of their own had already died for.  

The Guardians fought wherever they were needed most, holding down a line here, and adding strength to a group there. The twins never left the other's side, often times being over looked as just lost children before they destroyed their opponents. Chris using his earth skills would open jagged crevices below, Tris then washing them into it with flows of water she drew up from underground springs. They were a deadly duo, and would stop at nothing to destroy those who threatened their home and their Firesprite.

Starhunter ranged above them in the skies, using his sun beams and falling star attacks to incinerate the Dark armies below, as well as his razor sharp claws and tail spike which were dripping with the black blood than ran in their veins. 

Ophelia brought up zombies of her own, using them to slow down and confuse the other armies, bringing back to life the bodies of their dead and turning them against their own. Seeing their own march against them shattered the unity of the army, and soon they were no more than a leaderless rabble that killed wherever there were enemy soldiers regardless of where they were supposed to be.

Tintaro attacked on his own, a single being that with his two broad swords wreaked massive amounts of damage on the other side. Twirling around, slashing on demon's head off, jumping to avoid the body that toppled down and then leaping at another, he was truly in his element and thrived upon bringing one more of those against him to their final end.

The sun had risen past the horizon and hung fully in the sky, no one else able to force their way through the portal for the bodies that were crushed against it. Those fighting to protect their land noticed this with grim joy and battled on, resolute to drive them back completely forever!

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The Destroyer of All stood there sucking on another one of his suckers, gloating over Firesprite's limp for as he continued to expound upon the ways he would make the Mortal Realms bow to him.

"And then I'll have them build a monument in every town square! One of me, dressed in my ceremonial armor of course, and they will be forced to bow to it whenever they walk past it and when they wake in the morning and go to sleep at night! Any who disobey will be...I can't say whipped to death because that I used for those who refuse to house my soldiers while they're on campaigns." The young boy paused, rubbing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Being dunked in boiling oil might do nicely, though..."

"Sir!" cried Keitaro, the Destroyer of the Living, as he ran up, interrupting his leader's speech. The Destroyer bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching his knees.

"This had better be good," the boy threatened, an aura building around him of dark energy as he mood went instantly from happy go lucky to temper tantrum in an instant. Unfortunately for his followers, his temper tantrums had a way of killing others instead of just getting him what he wanted. "What is it?"

"The portal, sir," explained the Destroyer of All as he pointed back towards where it was. Half the army was still on their side, trying to get through. "Something is blocking us! Rumors are coming through of a vast army that's stopping our progress, but we do not know for sure if it is true..."

The Destroyer of all glanced at the prisoner who was coherent but not moving at his feet, a sly look coming on his face. "Grab her," he ordered, heading towards the portal quickly. "I think I know who it is." Keitaro immediately slung the chained and shackled Firesprite over his shoulder, jogging after his Master as fast as he could without dropping her. 

The boy moved everyone out of the way with a single command, blasting through his own forces to clear a space outside the portal. Motioning to Keitaro, the Destroyer of the Living chucked the Guardian of the Living through the portal, the Destroyer of All following immediately after to stand there with the Guardian at his feet. 

The fighting stopped and both sides drew apart, each only glaring at the other through some unspoken agreement of a truce for the moment.

"I see you've managed to...pause our invasion," commented the boy, his voice ringing over the silent defenders. He spotted Zephyr and nodded to himself as if confirming something he already knew. "Impressive. I have a wager for you, though, so neither of us will continue to waste our fighting resources needlessly. A death match between me and your leader, for this Guardian's life as well as control of this portal." He paused, waiting to see if any would immediately reply. "Well?" he asked tauntingly after a few moments of silence had gone by. "What, there's no one brave enough on the Guardian's side to face a little kid like me?" He spat the last part out, as if disgusted with the words.

"I will!" cried Genki, stepping forward and redrawing the sword he had sheathed.

"No," cut in Zephyr before the child could reply, stepping forward instead. "If there is none stronger than I, then I will fight."

The boy was about to reply when a massive explosion rocked the portal, blood and guts flying through it to spatter his uniform and those of the soldiers near him. Silence fell as its surface began to blur, another figure stepping through.

"That won't be necessary, Zeph," said a familiar voice, one which rang even louder and truer than that of the Destroyer of All. Allen stepped into the light, drawing his sword and holding his shield at the ready. "I am the Guardian of All! Destroyer, your armies who awaited you are gone and those who are left here are not enough to win alone. You have no choice but to face me."

The form at the boy's feet lifted it's head slightly, Firesprite so lost in her grief and the painful drugs that had been fed to her that she could do nothing but whimper softly.

The boy smirked and drew his sword of rough iron, flames appearing along its length as he swung it a few times expertly. "Bring it on."

The two charged at each other, Allen switching one sword for the other as Fire met Ice in an explosive rein of ice splinters and sparks. The two continued to exchange blows for a moment before backing off, Allen realizing this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it was going to.

The boy was good, he couldn't deny that. Fast and strong as any grown man, surely he had not been like this his whole 7 or 8 years of life but unless Allen could disarm him in some way he couldn't beat him through his sword work.

Shielding himself against the blast of fire sent at him with a wall of ice, he continued to puzzle it through while raining bolts of ice lighting down on the young boy. There had to be a loop hole he had not yet seen...

Drawing back as his wall of ice shattered from the overbearing heat, he switched tactics and blocked each burst of fire with a separate burst of ice, dousing them in midair. Standing across from each other with their opposing armies backed up enough to give them sufficient room and Firesprite still lying there to the side, he began to feel a few beads of sweat drip down his face from the tension in the air.

"You're strong," panted the young one as he drew himself into another fighting stance. Smirking he added, "And fast. But I am stronger, and faster. HA!" He flew forward, his shield on his back and both swords out and ready.

Allen furrowed his brow, then nodded to himself as he charged forward as well. "We'll see about that."

Once again they met in a clash, but this time Allen paused and let his guard down, the Destroyer leaping forward at the chance to spear him through the middle. Allen barely turned at the last second, his ice blade reaching out as if to stab the Destroyer in the back...only to catch the tip of his crown and sending it flying through the air.

The boy felt it left off his head and turned quickly, catching the tip of the blade on the edge of his face and slicing across his cheek. Seeing it whirling in the air, he ran after it trying to catch it before it hit the ground. Allen merely pointed his sword at it and let off a stream of ice, the two together combusting and destroying each other. The crown on Allen's head shattered as well, his ice sword and the boy's fire on crumbling away at the destruction of their base power.

"You're powers are gone!" called Allen as he sheathed his sword and kept his shield on his back, holding his arms out imploringly. "Give it up, Destroyer of All. Return back to your castle now and I'll let you live another thousand years to challenge me again!"

The boy just laughed maniacally, his body changing and reforming itself to that of an older man with wild black hair that trailed down his back, eyes red as blood taking in the scene as the boy had before. "My powers gone??" he queried, his voice growing deeper by the second. "I think not..."

Throwing his hands apart, he drew upon all the pain and destruction of the last few hours, bringing that energy into a single band between his hands. Breathing deeply, he roared, "TOTAL ANIALATION!!" The band expanded, then contracted into a single blade that shot towards Allen faster than he could react. He closed his eyes, accepting his death from his own foolishness as it split into a thousand more beams that he could never hope to dodge...

"NO- AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Allen got a deja vu feeling as something slumped against him, opening his eyes to see Firesprite, still chained and shackled as she was, standing before him with her wings spread wide. Or what was left of them. Flesh hung in strips from the stark white bones which protruded from her back, everything else completely disintegrated by the force.

Catching her as she began to slip, he felt a rage build inside him that hadn't been there before. At first, Allen had wished only wished to stop the Destroyer of All, perhaps find a way to divert another death from happening. Now he wanted to murder him with his bare hands. 

"You fool..." he said gently as he laid Firesprite to the side, Holly and Pixie on either side of her in an instant. 

"You're...even...more so...than I..." she retorted quietly, unable to move from the pain that now paralyzed her body. The two Phoenix Warriors supported her on either side, Holly taking some of the pain for herself as the Destroyer of All just stood there bringing another beam together while laughing all the while.

"I missed last time," he called mockingly. "Not that it matters. I won't make that mistake again..."

Allen raised his blade high, building upon the trust and the courage of those who had fought and died that there would be others after them to do the same. Lowering it slowly as he used his anger to focus the flood of power that engulfed his body, they both began to glow as one as each set of their final attacks.

"TOTAL ANIALATION!"

"**RIGHTEOUS THUNDER!!"**

Everything imploded with an uncontrollable force, both those of the Dark armies and those defending their Realm knocked over by the blast as everything went dark...

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Allen stood across the boy in a black void dotted with stars, neither one armed except for a single dagger which stood between them. The Guardian looked around, extremely confused. "Where am I?!"

"Where we would have fought had things gone as the prophecy had originally described," explained the boy lightly with a shrug. "Now, one of us must die." He glanced at the dagger, surprised that Allen had not made his move yet. "What are you waiting for??"

"...am I supposed to do something??" Allen gave him a puzzled look.

"You're supposed to kill me, moron!" The Destroyer shook his head in frustration, huffing in annoyance. "Well come on, get on with it already! I'm still waiting..."

"What if I don't want to?" Allen crossed his arms over his chest, looking at him defiantly. "I don't believe in killing needlessly in general."

"You won't deny me this!" cried the boy, rushing forward to grab the dagger and place it in Allen's hands and then put the tip to his chest. "It is my destiny to die at your hands. DO IT!"

Allen dropped the dagger, turning away slightly. "No."

"It's what you owe me! You destroyed my crown and my sword, now destroy me!"

"I owe you nothing! It doesn't have to be this way!"

"It does so." The boy picked up the dagger again, placing it to his own chest with a slight smile on his face. "One of these days, when you have read the chronicles they require you Guardians to write, you will understand. Perhaps then next time you will give me my satisfaction." He plunged the dagger through his chest, the blood dripping to the floor as the void began to fade, Allen trying to rush forward and stop him from doing the deed as he was thrown from it into empty space...

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Allen woke staring at the stars in the sky, feeling the grass beneath him and hearing the murmur of others who moved around him quietly. A blanket had been placed over him, someone lying beside him on their stomach with their back thickly bandaged. 

"...Lili...?" The someone turned their head towards him, not bothering to move but giving him a slightly smile and a nod. Allen sat up slowly, brushing his fingers along her back, making her wince. "Your wings..."

"Gone," she replied softly. Closing her eyes, a single tear fell down her face. "I'll never fly again..."

Allen wiped it away tenderly and kissed her cheek, promising to be back soon as he got up and moved among the others, searching for certain people among the crowd.

"Genki!" He grabbed the man's shoulders, turning him quickly.

"Allen, you woke up!" Genki gave him a quick hug before waving aside Allen's questions, smiling slightly. "You're friends from the Spirit Realm brought back those who were too far gone for us to save after the battle, and our losses were none because of it. Not that everyone has their same abilities as before, but being a cripple and being a alive is a heck of a lot better than being dead. Everyone is fine."

"I'm glad," replied Allen, sighing gratefully. "Lilianne, though..."

"Those from the Spirit Realms are waiting for you over there," explained Genki, pointing to the edge of the camp. "Go, they've already explained things to us."

"Thank you," said Allen, clasping hands with Genki one last time before running towards where a lone fire was outside the edge of the camp.

"Allen!" He felt two pairs of arms encircle him from behind just before he reached it, turning to see Chris and Tris both standing there with worried looks on their faces. "How is Firesprite?? The Phoenix Warriors wouldn't let us see her and Tintaro said we had to do whatever they said!"

"She's fine," Allen assured them, patting them both on the head as they lead him over to where the Guardians sat. "Not in the best of shape, but she'll live. What of the other army, though?"

"Gone," said Chris with a shrug. "Banished to the other side once again since they've lost this round.'

"You've succeeded," said Tintaro gruffly as he saw them approach, standing and bowing stiffly. Allen saw the bandage around his arm, though, and motioned for him to sit. 

"I have," replied Allen, frowning as he did. "What now?"

"We go home," replied Ophelia as she rose slowly, Starhunter towering behind her and the twins on either side. "It's time you took your place among us, Guardian Lavan. For that is the name Celeste has chosen for you, and you shall be called it from now on."

"What about Firesprite?" asked Allen, turning back towards the others. 

"We will take her with us," Tintaro assured him. "We've already spoken with the rest of your people, and they know we have to leave quickly.  There is something we can do for our fellow Guardian's wings, but it requires your help and it must be done soon. Are you ready to go?"

"I am," replied Allen with a nod. They all began to glow, Starhunter flying overhead and picking up Firesprite gently to bring with them. "Let's go home."

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And that my friends, would be the end if I weren't kind enough to type you an epilogue as well. ^_^ I'm sorry if it doesn't quite fit my usual writing style, I've been very out of sorts as of late and its affecting most every part of my life. I'm sorry. Hopefully I'll have time to go back and do some revisions later, if not I hope this will satisfy you along with a little bit soon to be posted about what happened afterward. Please review, is it really the kind thing to do.

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


	11. 

The end is here. Please enjoy. ^_^

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_It's been ten years now since the saving of the Mortal Realms as it is called. I'm not sure why, because more realms than that were saved that day but because it was the one where most of the action took place I suppose it fits._

_The portal between the two realms has now been shattered. The bridge broken so such an invasion can never happen again. Even the Guardians are restricted in their travel, and only the Guardian Lavan, who rules us so wisely, is able to travel back and forth at his will. We can still watch those who played key roles that day from above, though, and it seems fitting that in this account I share with you how some of Lavan's family and friends have done since then. _

_Holly and Genki had their final child a few months later and named him Allen, in their lost friend's honor as they had done with their twins. Now almost into their 50's, they've begun to slow their life down and settle more in the village and travel less. Both have lone since retired their Phoenix Warrior titles to others and passed the pendants down through the family, Annie and Z now carrying that privilege. Lavan has faith in them and their monster counter parts that all will be safe there as long as there are people like them to guard it, and those of us here trust his judgment without question._

_The twins themselves are quite interesting to watch. The girl Annie finally managed to hook Lavan's nephew into marrying her (or was it the other way around?) and have little ones who have far more energy that is sanely plausible. Z settled down with a quiet girl from town a few years ago and, finding they were unable to have children themselves, instead run the orphanage for the homeless kids. I hear they have an adopted family of more than 20, and it continues to grow by the both. Spirits help them, for that is far more little ones than I would ever dare have in one place at once._

_The past Phoenix Warrior Pixie and her companion Blue have moved into the village with Holly and Genki, taking up residence with them and living out their days in peace. Her pendant was passed down to one of Claw's offspring, a spunky mew female who has inherited her mother's claws and abilities, but not her thirst for blood thankfully. The originally feisty and independent Pixie has mellowed out as well, becoming quite a favorite of the young ones for telling stories and spoiling them with bits of candy. She usually has at least two or three tagging along with whatever she's doing, and she does enjoy their company._

_Tiger, the prideful wolf monster, has long since retired in his back. Storm passed on a few years ago and he hasn't been quite the same since, spending more time sleeping or playing with the pups rather than guarding the pack and taking a leader's roll. Ice is now in charge and doing a fine job with things, having found himself a strong mate who stands beside him in every situation and has born him a fine set of triplets who just reached two years old. Temi split off to join another pack where she found a mate herself, and while she does visit occasionally it is rare for them to see her more than once a year. After all, her mate will not leave the cubs with her alone to go visit family quite a distance away and it is not wise to keep two male tigers who are both pack leaders such as her brother and mate in the same place for any length of time. _

_The loyal pinkeye finally passed on to join her mate Suezo, her offspring all over the place. Though most have gone on to other villages, they keep in close contact and often get together for once celebration or another. Such times are quite amusing to watch as they all inherited their mother and father's tempers, arguments always break out with the females beating the males to the ground in a wondrous display of feminine power. I must remember to have Lava give me a list of when the next ones will be..._

_Zelda is still around, living with Holly as her permanent babysitter for when the grandkids come over or she and Genki need someone to watch young Allen for awhile. She is well loved there and loves them all back, a good arrangement I must say for many times those from the past who stick around are not appreciated for the work they do to stay._

_The exuberant Slip has finally settled down as well, finding himself a clan of gels who accepted him with open arms. Taking a mate and having young ones of his own, he still travels some but mainly stays there to help with the young ones. He is still the fourth Phoenix Warrior, and will probably be so for many years to come. Frost is there as well, being a grandfather to the young ones. He is as stoic as ever, but being called granddaddy may warm his still chilly demeanor with time. _

_The nephew of Lavan's, Kenjou, actually lives in the Valley now that Lavan himself watched over when Firesprite was a Guardian before he became one as well. He and his wife, who is Annie as I already mentioned, live there as the governing pair and several humans and monsters have joined them there. It's quite the little town, with its own school and training grounds for humans and monsters alike who wish to learn to defend themselves. May they prosper in their endeavor to continue to create a place where monsters and humans are equal, for they will need to band together in the years to come again._

_Now as for those Guardians who played such important roles to protect the Mortal Realms I shall tell you something of as well. Wyndcatcher is still among us when he's not among his brethren winds, for he loves to fly the skies that Starhunter rules as a man loves his wife. He, of all the Guardians, spends the most time in the Mortal Realms, and will often disappear there for months at a time to take care of this problem or that at Lavan's bidding._

_Ophelia is still with us as well, as quiet as ever with her usual stoic personality. I keep telling her not to spend so much time in her own realms among the dead, but she insists it is good for her. The twins are still here as well, causing as much trouble as they do good with their powers. The poor young ones, an eternal youth with abounding energy and nothing for them to do! Perhaps I shall suggest that Wyndcatcher take them along next time he goes on a mission for Lavan, it would do them some good, I think._

_Tintaro is still stumping about too, bless his heart. The old war vet has nothing to do now and is spending more and more of his time with the twins making mischief. Maybe all three of them need to get out of here for awhile, for I find one more mouse in my bed or find the ground suddenly shift under me while I'm walking through the gardens there will be pain! And not the good kind either. ^_~_

_Starhunter continues to roam the skies and brings us information daily on how goes the repairs to the Dark armies castle. Without a leader is has come to a crawl, and the fort which crumbled the day their new Destroyer of All was killed may not be fully fixed until they find another one. I suppose it is a fitting punishment, to be without shelter, for those who followed him but I still cannot help but pity them at times._

_Firesprite is quite well and still one of us too, her wings healed and fully restored, though she shall never use them to fly again. At least they were there, though, for when she goes flying on Wyndcatcher's back that she might remember the freedom that she once had. She does her job well, keeping the Mortal Realms safe for the Living with Wyndcatcher's help. It pleases me that she has recovered so, for we feared for a long time that she may never fully recover from her loss of flight. She has, though, and our worry was for nothing at all._

_Lavan himself is...interesting to say the least. He's finally 'caught his girl' as he puts it and could not be happier. If I weren't millennia upon millennia old I might actually be jealous of them, laying together in the gardens like young lovers. But I am glad that they have found joy after all that happened, and may their years be filled with peace and prosperity until their time comes to an end.  He himself is a fine Guardian of All and we do love him dearly. He has won the loyalty of all, even Tintaro, and rules as any just Guardian should. With his heart._

"I found it!" cried Lava, coming up from a pile of books and chronicles as Celeste sat at a table in her study, watching her Guardian of All with an amused look on her face. 

"Found what?" she asked calmly, standing slowly as her joints creaked in annoyance from having to move. She closed the book she had been writing it, laying her quill pen to the side.

"See?" He pointed to a passage in one of the past Guardian's books. "There it is, why the kid wanted me to kill him. Each Destroyer of All is really the same person, reborn for the exact purpose of attempting once again to take over both Realms. So that is how he knew that I would face him again some day, and why he had to die...because if he didn't he couldn't be reborn and try again!"

"That is correct," replied the Guardian of Time, nodding sagely as she took the volume from his hands and set it back on the shelf. "Come, Firesprite will have thought you got lost among my wracks of books again."

"I did, actually," admitted the man, scratching the back of his head as he did. "But I found my way back! By the way, did you finish that ending for me?"

"Just as you popped up with the book."

"Great! What say you come and join me and Fire for some cake? She said she was bringing some back from home and you know you like my sister's cake..."

Celeste smiled wanly, she did like Lavan's sister's cake. "But won't I be intruding?"

"Considering that we have close to an eternity together, I don't think Firesprite will mind." Allen shrugged.

"Very well, I shall come."

"I knew you would!"

"Of course you did!"

"....huh?"

Celeste winked. "I thought the Guardian of All knew everything."

Allen laughed. "That's right, I do!"

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The end. 

I have nothing to say other than please review. After all I did finish this story for the few faithful readers I have left.

~Crosseyedbutterfly~


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